The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-10-01
ABOUT ELECTRICITY.
The Meaning Of Some of the Electrical
Terms in Everyday Use Made Plain
for Our Younger Readers.

Because electricity cannot be
seen Is no season why it should
not be understood and it is
strange that with all the mil
hons of users of electricity for
light, power and heat. so few
know anything about this won
dertul force.
The majority are content tc
know that the pressure of fin.
ger Will light the house, turn
of a switch will start the electric
cooking devices and another
switch will give instant power,
without prylng into the myster-
les of electrical energy. When
anything gets out of order they
send for an electrician and let
HIM wrestle with the problem.
In this electrical age 1t is lm.
portant that every one should
understand the rudimentary
principles of electricity. The
first step is to comprehend the
numerous technical terms asso.
ciated with the profession and
then grasp some tangible idea OF
the nature of the current.
In the scientific world electri-
city is called a fluid, in the same
sense that light is called fluid.
and, therefore, it can best be
compared with water. To make
the terms "ampere" watts" and
volts" comprehensive 1T is only
necessary to keep the water com.
parison IN mind and remem Der
that amperes correspond with
the volume or flow of ii fluid, watts
with energy or horsepower, and
volts with pressure A "kllo-
watt" Is Thousand watts, or
equal to one and a third horse
power of energy.
Electric lights consume elec-
trio energy-thls energy is ex-
expressed in watts and paid for
at so much per kilowatt, or a
thousand watts. If the rate is
fifteen cents a killowatt hour it Is
equal to about eleven cents q
horse power hour.
The average electric lncandes-
cent lighting circuits carry cur.
rent at pressure of about 110
volts and the street railway sys-
TENS at about 500 waits. This
means that the wires are carry
ing electricity under a pressure
of so many volts just as water
pressure is expressed In pounds.
We can easily understand that a
certain stream has a volume of
so many gallons of water and it
should be as easy to comprehend
that a certain electrical line Is
carrying so many "amperers" of
electricity, which means the vol
ume of the flow of the current.
One reads great deal about
"dlrect current" and "alternat-
ing current" Ia the beginning
of the electrical industry direct
current only was known, that is,
the current generated always
flowed one way along the circnit.
But later developments proved
that generator could be made
much easier and simpler that
would produce an alternating
current"-a current that surged
tlrst one way and then the other
over the line. This current sur
ges back and forth as often as
sixty times or "cvcles" a minute
on the average lighting circuits
and twenty five times on power
lines. Alternating current gen.
orators are most extensively used
today and where direct current
Is needed for street railway lines
or other work the alternating
current Is changed into direct
current with rotary converters.
These machines look not unlike
generators, but they simply
change the surging current to
one which flows always the one
way.