A turbine is a machine with blades or paddles that spin when pushed by moving water, steam, wind, or hot gases. As the turbine spins, it generates power that can be converted into electricity or used to do mechanical work.

Think of a pinwheel spinning in the wind: a turbine works on the same basic principle, but it's much larger and more powerful. Wind turbines, those tall white towers you might see on hillsides, use giant blades to capture wind energy. Hydroelectric dams use water flowing through turbines to generate electricity for entire cities. Jet engines contain turbines that spin from hot exhaust gases, helping power aircraft through the sky.

Steam turbines powered factories and ships during the Industrial Revolution, transforming manufacturing and transportation. Today, turbines generate most of the world's electricity, whether powered by falling water, nuclear heat, burning coal or natural gas, or renewable sources like wind.

When you flip on a light switch, there's a good chance the electricity traveled from a spinning turbine somewhere, converting motion into the electrical power that runs our modern world.