I am new to the physics category of the Stack Exchange site. I apologize if my question is wrong, too broad, simple, or worded incorrectly. I am just trying to figure out what is true and false when it comes to electricity and its vast world. I want to have the right resources to learn from, however, I have come across many things that say electricity is the flow of electrons; and then there are people that contradict this statement.
For example, this guy said,
"First we must realize that "electricity" does not exist. There is no
single thing named "electricity." We must accept the fact that, while
several different things do exist inside wires, people wrongly call
all of them by a single name."
I looked at some more of his information on his website, here are a few links:
http://amasci.com/miscon/whatis.html
http://amasci.com/amateur/elecdir.html
http://amasci.com/miscon/eleca.html
I am not asking anyone by any means to read everything, if someone could just browse it briefly – a few sentences or something, to let me know if these articles align with the truth and facts of electricity – then I would really like to study the articles and learn
Best Answer
The idea that electricity "does not exist" is just verbal sophistry along the same lines as "matter does not exist, it is frozen energy" or, "you do not exist, you are a figment of your own imagination". At best these are all just over-dramatic and misleading ways of saying that what these things actually are is not what you probably think they are. At worst, misguided eccentrics create "straw" definitions of such well-known words just so they can burn them and trump them with their own untenable notions.
This last, sadly, is what is happening with the pages you link to. Although basically sound at an experimental and phenomenological level (and that has to be clearly acknowledged), he argues for his own wacky definitions of words.
The guy claims that the scientific definition "means only one thing: quantities of electricity are measured in Coulombs". In fact it is electric charge which is measured in coulombs, not "electricity" per se; his claim is a classic example of giving a straw definition so that he can debunk it.
He concludes that "Because there are *two* things flowing, we cannot call them both by the name 'electricity.'" This is typical eccentric pedantry; of course we can. We can simply say that the phenomenon of electricity comprises electric charges and electric fields. And we do.
For example "static electricity" is a buildup of charge, which creates an electric field capable of making your hair stand up or making molecules of glue stick together. Electricity as found in domestic wiring has three main properties; its flow is measured in (electron) charges per second or Amps, its "pressure" in Volts and the power (flow of energy) carried by the charged electrons in Joules per second or Watts. All these are aspects of electricity. There are many others.
All the sophistry in the world will not change these facts, only what we choose to call such things.