How the Human Body Generates Electricity

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Lee Swanson asks: How does the human body create electricity?

Fantastic question Lee. The shortest and most

simple answer is- chemical reactions between
different atoms and molecules within the body.
If all that seems a bit vague, let me give you

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the long answer that inherently needs to get a

bit sciency. O how I love long sciency
answers, much to the chagrin of certain
readers who like to email me complaining
about it. (Im looking at you Bradley H.)
To start with, its necessary to explain a bit
about what exactly electricity is. If you already
know this, feel free to skip down a couple
paragraphs. If not, read on!
What most people think of as electricity is
simply the movement of an electrical charge,
or potential. Sometimes known as a secondary
energy source or an energy carrier, the
electricity that powers everything from our
television sets to our cars needs to be created
from some energy source. When it comes to
electricity, there are countless numbers of
sources that can create electrical power. The
most common energy sources for mass
production are hydro-electric, nuclear, solar and wind. Technological advances have allowed us to harness
these energies to give us wonders like dancing robots and smart-phone flashlights.
What are we harnessing from these energy sources? The power to move electrons. If you think back to
junior high school science class, you might remember different atoms have different numbers of protons,
electrons and neutrons. Protons being positive, electrons being negative and neutrons being neutral.
Each basic element, like the oxygen you breathe, and the sodium and potassium you eat, have a certain
number of protons and electrons that will distinguish it from other elements. Most elements have the same
number of electrons as they do protons. This will give it a balance between negative and positive charges.
Protons reside in the nucleus (center) of the atom while electrons rotate around the nucleus.
An interesting fact about electrons is, the energy they have is restricted to specific levels known as shells.
These shells allow for specific spaces between the rotating electron and the center protons- sort of like how
planets orbit at different distances from the sun. Since negatively charged electrons are attracted to
positively charged protons, the further away from the center of the atom an electron is, the more loosely the
electron is held to the nucleus and the easier it is to knock that electron free of it.
Electrons in the outermost shell of an atom, known as the valence shell, are so loosely bound to the
nucleus, they can break away rather easily. If you get enough energy to break an electron free and cause it
to move in a certain direction, the electron in the valence shell of the adjacent atom will flow to that atom
because as we know, in most cases you need an equal electron to proton ratio in an element. These freely
flowing electrons are what were harnessing from the outside power sources. This is what you are referring
to as electricity.

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How the Human Body Generates Electricity

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When it comes to the electricity created in the human body, the energy source creating it is chemical. The
energy created by chemicals has to do with the composition of the atoms and molecules present. All the
elements we take into our bodies, like oxygen, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium etc. have a specific

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electrical charge- meaning they have a specific number of electrons and protons. Different chemicals are
made
of different molecules. How those molecules are
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All bound
That is together,
Interestingand how they react to other
molecules near them is how chemicals create such energy.
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When we take in our food, the large molecules within it are broken down in to smaller molecules and
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elements by our digestive system. Those smaller molecules and elements can be used by our cells to do
work.
process is called cellular respiration. All of those
molecules
PictureThat
the Recipe
Homes
and Huesand elements have the potential to
create electrical impulses, depending on the situations within the specific body systems at the time.
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For a specific example of this sort of thing in action, one of the most commonly mentioned electrical
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currents created by the body is our heart rhythm. Our hearts
contain a grouping of cells that reside in the

upper right portion known as your Sinoatrial node or SA node for short. The cells within the SA node
(pacemaker of the heart) contain electrolytes both inside and outside the cells. Some of the most common
electrolytes
within the body, as mentioned previously, are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium,
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phosphorus, and chloride. Sodium and calcium generally reside outside the SA nodes cells and potassium

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