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Electrolysis is a chemical change ,it is the process in which a chemical is broken down into  component chemicals using electricity. It involves submerging two metal electrodes into a liquid or molten substance that contains positive and negative ions.

                        During the electrolysis process the electrodes connect to a battery. When they are electrically charged, one electrode becomes the negative terminal or cathode, and the other becomes the positive terminal or anode. The positive terminal attracts negatively charged ions and the negative terminal attracts positively charged ions. The word electrolysis means the process of breaking molecules to smaller parts by using an electric current. 

A classic example for  electrolysis is the extraction of hydrogen using the process of electrolysis of water.

 Some commercial applications of electrolysis are electroplating,electrofrming,electric refining of metals etc.