We use it every day, but most of us haven't got a clue how electricity makes things work. What's going on in the wires that make motors move, and heaters heat? Whether it's a toaster or an electric ...

Inside nearly every electronic device is a simple coil of wire doing a powerful job—it’s called an inductor. Though small and ...

The simplest complete circuit is a piece of wire from one end of a battery to the other. An electric current can flow in the wire from one end of the battery to the other, but nothing useful happens.

Churning with voltage and resembling an explosion at the wire factory, the breaker panel exudes mystique. But it's just a big switch, filled with other smaller ­switches, which lead to the switches ...

All those "Danger: High Voltage" signs have got a lot to answer for. Voltage is only one part of any story about electricity, and it's not the painful or dangerous part. The real danger for bags of ...