What is electricity, and how does it flow?

Electricity is the flow of electric charge, usually carried by tiny particles called electrons moving through a conductor like copper wire.

For current to flow, there must be a complete path, called a circuit, and a source of energy, such as a battery or power station, that pushes the electrons along. Voltage is the push, current is the rate of flow, and resistance is how much a material opposes that flow. Ohm’s law links them: voltage equals current multiplied by resistance.