One of three primary particle types that make up an atom. Electrons are most easily understood as being similar to planets that orbit around stars. In an atom, electrons are the planets which orbit around a much heavier central core, or nucleus.

Each electron in an atom holds a negative electrical charge to balance the positive charge of a corresponding proton in the nucleus. In all forms of electrical energy transmission, power is transmitted at an atomic level by "stray electrons" which jump at close to the speed of light from atom to atom along the path of the electrical circuit. An extra electron on one atom might be "pushed out of orbit" by a stray electron from the next atom up the chain, and it in turn will look farther down the circuit for an atom that it can push out. Conductive substances such as copper, iron and aluminum are structured in a way that makes electrons easy to push out of orbit. Imagine billions of electrons on billions of atoms playing a continuous game of musical chairs with other electrons on other atoms along the wire, and the result is a relatively accurate picture of how electricity is transmitted.

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