We use current electricity all the time. Every time you turn on a light, turn on the oven, or even turn on a flashlight, you are using current electricity. Current electricity is electrical charges flowing in a circuit in a controlled way. An electrical circuit is a continuous path for energy to flow through.

A flashlight is a very simple electrical circuit. If you've taken it apart, you know there's not much to it. A switch to control a wire, two batteries, and a light bulb, contained inside a tube. The batteries are the energy source and the bulb is the load, the switch controls the flow of electricity, and wires to connect it all together. The joule (J) is the unit for measuring energy. A light bulb in a table lamp needs about 4000 J per minute it is on.

There are different sources of electrical energy. An electrical cell, for example, converts chemical energy into electrical. There are two types of electrical cells. Primary cells cannot be recharged. Secondary cells can. Two or more electrical cells is a battery. The load in an electrical device is what converts the energy into a different form. The light bulb in a flashlight, for example, converts the electrical energy into heat and light energy.