As a child I considered the reindeer Rudolph, with his nose so
bright, to be a marvel of engineering. Now an adult, I remain
perplexed as to the mystery behind the self-generating power
source behind his nose. Did it ever overheat? I wondered.
Perhaps today’s discussion can shed some light on the matter.
During the course of our discussion of electricity certain terms
have been tossed about, like voltage and current. For some the
distinction between the two may be unclear, and that is what
we’ll be addressing today. Electricity is a rather abstract
phenomenon, but you may consider the flow of electrical current
through a wire to be much like water flowing through a garden
hose. The water won’t flow unless there’s sufficient pressure
behind it, and that pressure is supplied by pumps, either at
your city water works or your personal well. Take away the
pressure, and the water stops flowing through the hose.
Electricity flows in much the same manner. It requires a pushing
pressure to get it on its journey from p