Circuits, Voltage, Resistance, Current - Physics 101 / AP Physics Review with Dianna Cowern

A more simple way to look at it: Think of voltage as pressure. When you open a faucet connected to a hose, you expose the water in the hose to pressure. It pushes the water making the current flow, the more pressure the more energy the water has. Voltage is ELECTRICAL PRESSURE and like water pressure it goes nowhere, it only pushes the electrons through the wire. It forces a current of electrons (measured in amps) to jump from their orbit on one copper atom to the next atom, all the way through the circuit. The voltage is created by the attraction force that the - negative charge of the electrons in the battery have for the + positive side of the battery, just like north and south ends of magnets are attracted. If you connect a light bulb to + and - battery terminals the electrons will flow through it.
 The material a light bulb filament is made of has higher resistance to electrical flow (measured in ohm's) than wire has. The flowing electrons can't flow or jump between it's atoms as easily as wire atoms, so a limited amount of current forces it's way through, creating enough heat to light the bulb.