Who Turned Out the Lights FunScienceToons

I guess Tyson doesn't like the thunder. I'm going to start dinner, guys. I'll need both of you to set the table in about 20 minutes. Sure thing, Mom. I don't mind the thunder when it's a low rumble, but I get a little scared when it's a loud crack. I could watch lightning all night. It's so pretty. Pretty and powerful. It's a huge electric shock that travels through the air. It's really dangerous when it hits something. Who turned out the lights? It looks like the lightning did. I found it. We're going to need this flashlight. How can lightning turn out the lights? Why can't you just turn the light switch back on? It doesn't work that way when the power goes out. It looks like we're going out to eat tonight. Hey, Mom. The library is on the other side of town. I bet they didn't lose power. Can we stop by after getting something to eat so I can give Jasmine a little science lesson on electricity? I'm fine with that. It will give me some time to read up on growing sweet potatoes. I want to try growing those at the community garden. I'll give Dad a call and let him know we'll be out. He can grab something to eat on his way home from work and take care of Tyson. That dog has always been scared of thunder. Let's use the flashlight with the simulation station. It'll help us understand why the lights went out. Great idea. Let's go. Was your spaghetti as good as my salad? Delicious. I saved a meatball for Tyson. Remember, I'll be in the gardening section if you need me. Got it, Mom. Let's head over to the simulation station. You put the flashlight in the simulation station, and I'll start typing in our search on electricity. Electricity is a form of energy that's produced when electrons move from one place to another place. The pathway those electrons flow through is called an electric circuit. Hey, that sounds like water flowing through Mom's garden hose. That's a good comparison, Jazz. But instead of water, electricity is flowing. The batteries push electrons through metal parts inside the flashlight. Electrons flow out of the battery through the light bulb, past the switch, and back into the battery. How does the switch turn the flashlight on and off? The switch puts a small gap or space in the pathway so the electricity can't keep moving. When you turn the switch on, the small gap or space goes away, and there's a complete loop for the electricity to follow. So that's how a flashlight works. Wow, science really is everywhere. How does a light switch work? The electricity we use at home doesn't come from a battery. A big power plant pushes electricity through wires into our home. Wires run behind the walls, and those wires run to the electrical outlets and light switches. A light switch works just like a switch on the flashlight. Wow, I never knew that. When you turn it on, it completes the loop for the electricity to follow. Any material that allows electricity to move through it easily is called a conductor. Electrical engineers found out that copper is a good conductor of electricity. So most electrical wires are made of copper. It doesn't look like the wires are made of copper. Every wire I see looks like it's made of rubber. Good observation, Jasmine. That's because those copper wires are covered in plastic. Anything that doesn't allow electricity to move through it easily is called an insulator. In order to keep people safe, scientists wanted to keep electricity from going where it's not wanted. So they figured out that they could cover the wires with an insulator that stops the flow of electricity. I actually have a science kit at home that lets you test to see what things conduct electricity. So why did our lights go out? Something must have broken the electrical circuit. The circuit is the path that electricity follows to get into our home. Lightning or wind could have knocked over a tree, and that tree could have pulled down a power line which would have stopped the flow of electricity to us. Once the power company fixes the line, we should have power back. Someone is hard at work out in the storm trying to make sure we have electricity. So now I know who turned out the lights. Do you think our electricity is back on by now? Let's go get Mom and find out. Maybe I can break out my electricity science kit, and we can test to see what things are good conductors. You can also give Tyson that meatball you saved for him. I was kind of hoping to use it in your science kit to see if the meatball is a conductor or insulator. Now that's thinking like a scientist. Science! Stop and try to wonder why.