Everything around you is made of atoms, and every atom has a heavy center — the nucleus — packed with positively charged protons. Circling that nucleus are tiny negatively charged electrons. Opposite charges attract, so the electrons stay near the nucleus.
The electrons in the outermost ring are held the loosest. In metals like copper, that outer 'valence' electron is so loosely held it can drift from atom to atom. Electricity is simply those free electrons moving together in one direction.
- Protons = positive (+), fixed in the nucleus.
- Electrons = negative (−), the outer ones can move.
- Like charges repel; opposite charges attract.
- A material whose electrons move easily is a conductor; one that holds them tight is an insulator.
This is the whole foundation: control the movement of electrons and you have controlled electricity. Everything else is just how we push them, slow them down, and put them to work.