Questions and Answers About EMF Electric and Magnetic Fields Associated with the Use of Electrical Power.
January 1995.

Electric Power Background

ELECTRIC POWER BASICS

This booklet uses six basic electrical terms- conductor, current, voltage, load, power, and circuit. The conductor is the wire you see between power poles or towers; it carries the electricity. Current is the movement of electrons in the conductor. Voltage is the electric force that causes current in a conductor. Load is the electric power needed by homes and businesses. When a conductor energized with voltage is connected to a load, a circuit is completed, and current will flow. Electrical terms are summarized in a comparison with more familiar examples involving water.