A Beginner's View of Our Electric Universe - New

on how much of an ‘encouraging force’ is applied to the electrons in its atomic structure to make them move.
Note that this will apply not just to the atoms of the 118 elements but also to combinations of these in all the
varieties of molecules these elements form. Here you can consider the fact that tap water is a good example of
an electrical conductor, and this is why you should never play with mains connected electrical gadgets while
you are taking a bath! Now we can move on to look more closely at Plasma … the first state of matter.
Plasma: what exactly is it? Well, if you continue to add energy to the atoms in a gas, eventually, some of the
outer electrons will be stripped off the atoms to become free electrons. The atoms left behind will therefore
have a net positive charge. The result is a gas that can conduct electricity and respond to electromagnetic fields.
In line with the collective opinion of far better qualified folk, I consider plasma to be ‘the first form’ of matter.
Some people would dispute this definition but I think it is substantial enough to defend, because from plasma,
everything else can follow. It is interesting to note that supporters of the Big Bang theory often talk about there
being nothing but plasma in the beginning!
An active plasma state exists within any form of matter that has an electric current flowing through it. Unlike
neutral matter that is made up of electrically balanced molecules and atoms that can be influenced by gravity,
the actual active plasma (current flow) within any form of matter will not be influenced by gravity. Do you hear
of cases where it is critical to have electric cables positioned in such a way that ensures the flow of electric
current is in a downward direction into an electrical device? No, you do not. This is because there is an electrical
pressure force that we call ‘voltage’ which pushes the electrons along the conductors of the cable. This is the
same in every situation that involves matter in the plasma state. Gravity has no effect on electric current flow
because the electric (electromagnetic - EM) force is far stronger than the force of gravity. Note here that the
normal matter we interact with in our everyday lives on the surface of the Earth is mostly in an electrically
balanced state and is therefore not influenced by the EM forces in our environment. Electrically neutral matter
will therefore only respond to the force of gravity until an electrical imbalance in that matter is brought about;
then the EM force can have an effect as well. In our everyday electrically neutral lives, we have no real direct
contact with or awareness of electric current flow – unless, of course, we touch a bare live wire!
Plasma is based on EM relationships, where electric fields and electric currents, with their associated magnetic
fields, are the powerful influences that dictate what matter does when it is in the plasma state. We will later
describe in greater detail what electromagnetism is, but for now, I will provide you with the most potent fact
about it. The electric force is one thousand, billion, billion, billion, billion times more powerful than the force
of gravity; this is the number ‘one’ with thirty-nine zeros following it, or to write this out in numeric form we
have 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 … or 10 39 in scientific notation terms.
This fact really drives the point home about which force can have the greatest influence on forms of matter
when it is in an electrically imbalanced and therefore plasma state.
57 | Some basic theory that will help