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Electric vocabulary - James Sheils

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TEDEd Animation

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We all know the words around electricity -- “charge,” “positive,” “battery” and more. But where do they come from and what do they really mean? Let the history of these words illuminate the physics of electric phenomena.

Look at a textbook or webpage that you have used to study 'electricity'. Look at a few of the paragraphs and consider if they have used the words in a helpful way. For instance, did they say 'flow of charge' or 'flow of current'? Which is correct? Did they use 'electricity' in many different ways? What do you think they meant in each case?

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Meet The Creators

  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Animator Celeste Lai
  • Educator James Sheils
  • Narrator James Sheils

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