Atoms and Electricity

 Everything in this world, consist of tiny tiny little things we call "atoms". And when i say everything i mean everything.
Even Electricity!!!

But what are the Atoms made of?

Well, atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons each with their own properties.
Protons have a Positive (+) charge.
Electrons have a Negative (-) charge.
Neutrons are Neutral (no charge).

The positive charges (protons) are held in the nucleus of the atom.
The negative charges (electrons) are spread in orbits around the nucleus.
It's like the tiny atoms are small solar systems... WHOAA. Yes, it is amazing, i am aware.

The protons and neutrons are held very tightly in the atomic nucleus- that is the very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom.

But some of the electrons are held very loosely and can move from one atom to another. 
If an atom looses an electron, the number of protons (positive charges) exceeds the number of electrons (negative charges), and the atom becomes positively charged.

Likewise,
If an atom gains an electron, the number of protons (positive charges) would be less than the number of electrons (negative charges). So the atom is considered negatively charged.

It is important to note that different materials have different atomic make ups.
Some has more protons.
Some has more Electrons.
Some has Neutrons.
And sometimes neutrons might be absent entirely.

When atoms are charged, they are called Ions. Positive Ions are called Cations, while negative Ions are called Anions.

This would be why different chemical element/materials have different properties than one another.
Some are hard.
Some are conductive.
Some are dense.
And sometimes completely jack shit Unstable.
etc etc...

Back to electricity.

Electric current is the flow of electrons from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of a cell.
This is because electrons are negatively charged and want to move away from the negative terminal and head towards the positive terminal.
Electrons are rascist towards their own kind.
Or you can see electrons and protons as 2 different genders groups being attracted to one another.
In any case, the FIRST RULE is that Electrons(-) are attracted to Protons(+) and vice versa.

When cells were first invented the theory of electron flow mentioned above was completely alien and unknown.
Rather it was incorrectly assumed that the movement was from the positive to negative terminal. Therefore, circuit diagrams showed the current moving from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.
Circuit diagrams that shows the protons moving from its home to the negative terminal, are called "Conventional Circuits".

In an electrical circuit the cell (or battery) pushes the electrons around the circuit.
It does this by transferring chemical energy from the materials in the cell to electrical potential energy to the electrons.
 When electrons pass through a lamp in the circuit they give up (lose) some of the electrical potential energy to the thin wires in the lamp in the form of heat and light.

Therefore across the lamp there is an electrical energy difference. The electrons entering the lamp have a higher electrical energy than the electrons leaving the lamp.
It's like how people are considerably richer before they go to the mall, than after.

So, that's the gist of it, and i hope you learned something- If at all.