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It can be difficult to imagine life without electricity, can't it? We find ourselves surrounded by electricity every day. Every time you switch on your TV, listen to your headphones, or use a toaster, you use electricity. Electricity is a force caused by an electric charge. When the charge moves, it provides a form of energy, which we can use to power devices and make them work. Sometimes, you access electricity by plugging an appliance into your wall and using the electricity from power lines. And sometimes you access it by using batteries that store the energy for you to use until they run out. For your games, computers, and toys that require electricity to work, they need to be part of a circuit. A circuit is like a big electrical loop. In order for the circuit to work, the whole loop must be complete. Imagine, you are riding your bike. In order to move forward, you need to continue pedaling so that the chains keep spinning your wheels to move you forward. Now just imagine that this chain is broken. The bike would stop moving and you may fall off. This is a bit like how a circuit works. Let's look at the circuit needed to turn a lightbulb on. Once plugged in, a current flow pushes an electrical charge around the circuit, activating the lightbulb. But if any part of the circuit was broken, the electrical charges would not be able to flow through the circuit and the light would stop working. This is also what happens when you use a switch. Imagine, that in this circuit, you also used a switch to turn your lightbulb on. You can plug it in your power point and turn the switch on. The current of the electric charge will turn the lightbulb on. But look what happens when you turn the switch off. The circuit is open, which turns the lightbulb off. This happens because a circuit needs to be complete for electricity to work in an appliance. Electricity can be very dangerous, so it's helpful to know how to protect ourselves whilst using it. Electricity travels through materials that are easy to flow through, called conductors. Metal is a good conductor, because the electrical charges move through it very fast. Because electricity moves through conductors, it's very dangerous to touch any metal parts while an appliance is being used. Water also conducts electricity very easily. This makes bringing electrical equipment like music players or games near water incredibly dangerous. We protect ourselves from electricity by using what we call insulators. Insulators are materials that do not conduct electricity and so are safe to touch. Rubber, for example, is a good insulator. We use rubber coatings around power cords as an insulator, because it stops the electricity from escaping, which prevents you from being electrocuted. Electricity is everywhere and helps us to do many things for survival and enjoyment. But it also important to remember that although electricity can power many exciting devices, there are many other ways we can have fun unplugged.