Ask the Superexpert about Electricity & Natural Gas
Have you ever wondered why shoes hanging on a power line don’t get fried? Or why natural gas flames are blue? Now you can get answers to these and all your energy-related questions. Just Ask an Superexpert!
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Answer: This is a very important subject to be teaching kids, Phong, and we are happy to help direct you to some answers!
- This table of typical monthly appliance energy costs can help you determine your costs savings from reduced energy use: https://www.pge.com/pge_global/common/pdfs/save-energy-money/analyze-your-usage/home-energy-checkup/Understanding-Your-Appliance-Energy-Costs.pdf.
- This activity helps kids see how saving energy can reduce their family’s energy bills:
https://pgesafetyeducation.com/school/66810-energy-science-smart/66861-youve-got-the-power-electric-gas/66861-save-a-watt-advanced-activity/ - You can find several other tools for understanding home energy use and the effects of energy conservation here:
https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/your-account/account-management/understand-your-energy-usage/understand-your-energy-usage.page - And, last but not least, check out our Energy Efficiency page for kid-friendly tips on using energy wisely at home and at school: https://pgesafetyeducation.com/school/66410-electrical-safety-smart/66451-tell-me-more/.
Answer: Electricity is measured in voltage (abbreviated as volts) and amperage (abbreviated as amps). To understand the difference between them, think of water in a hose. Opening the hose faucet supplies the pressure to move the water, and this pressure is like voltage. The amount of water that moves through the hose is like amperage. There is a third unit of measurement, wattage (abbreviated as watts) that describes the work electricity does. Watts are the product of volts and amps. Or, to say it mathematically, watts = volts x amps.
Answer: The energy cycle is a process by which some of the sun’s energy is cycled through plants and then released back into the environment. The cycle starts with photosynthesis, in which plants capture sunlight to produce sugars. The sugars are used by plants as food to give them energy to grow. Because animals can’t produce their own food the way plants can, they get their energy by consuming plants, or animals that have eaten plants. When the animals die, they decompose and the energy that is stored in their bodies is released back into the environment, completing the cycle.
Answer: PG&E provides both natural gas and electricity to our customers (hence our name, Pacific Gas & Electric). We serve approximately 15 million people throughout a 70,000-square-mile service area in northern and central California.
Answer: Turbines turn electromagnets that are surrounded by heavy coils of copper wire. The moving magnets cause the electrons in the copper wire to move from atom to atom, generating electricity.
Answer: This is a lot of questions wrapped up in one! Because it would take up a lot of space for me to address all of them here, I think the best way for you to get your answers is to check out the In Case of an Electrical Emergency link in the Electrical Safety-SMART! section of this website at https://pgesafetyeducation.com/school/66410-electrical-safety-smart/66431-in-case-of-an-electrical-emergency/.