how the human body generates electricity

8/9/2019 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

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 robotsand 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 she lls.

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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22-10-20


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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

electrical charge- meaning they have a specific number of electrons and protons. Different chemicals are

made up of different molecules. How those molecules are bound together, and how they react to other

molecules near them is how chemicals create such energy.

When we take in our food, the large molecules within it are broken down in to smaller molecules and

elements by our digestive system. Those smaller molecules and elements can be used by our cells to do

work. That process is called cellular respiration. All of those molecules and elements have the potential to

create electrical impulses, depending on the situations within the specific body systems at the time.

For a specific example of this sort of thing in action, one of the most commonly mentioned electrical

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,

phosphorus, and chloride. Sodium and calcium generally reside outside the SA nodes cells and potassium

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how the human body generates electricity

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