The development and nurturing of electrical power resulted from the work of scientists and accidental discoveries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This essentially was a European and American deal, and it included contributions from England, Scotland, France, Yugoslavia, Germany, and Italy. The earliest attempts to create or reproduce electrical currents were through the use of crude batteries. The Energizer Bunny wouldn’t have completed one drumbeat powered by these early batteries.
For the most part, these early physicists (they almost all were physicists) studied electrical phenomena, quantifying their observations so each one could conclude, “A-ha! It really hurts when you stand in a metal bucket of water and touch the bare ends of hot wires together!” Each contributor added to a gradually developing body of knowledge about electricity.
The Pioneers
A number of key players were poking and probing into electricity, most of them during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Considering the unsophisticated equipment these scientists used, their accomplishments are that much more remarkable. It’s not like they could refer to a textbook—they were writing the textbooks! You’ll recognize some of these scientists as the namesakes of some electrical terms we use today.
Ben Franklin Flies a Kite
Ben Franklin, the colonial printer known for pithy quotes who is now pictured on $100 bills, is famous for having flown a kite during a lightning storm—a practice not advocated by this author or your local hospital. Franklin was testing his idea that lightning was a form of electrical current. A metal key attached to the kite attracted the lightning as its electrical charge traveled down the kite’s cord and into Franklin’s wrist. As a result of his 1752 kite-flying and his follow-up observations, Franklin developed the terms “conductor,” “charge,” “electrician,” and not surprisingly, “electric shock.”
For the most part, these early physicists (they almost all were physicists) studied electrical phenomena, quantifying their observations so each one could conclude, “A-ha! It really hurts when you stand in a metal bucket of water and touch the bare ends of hot wires together!” Each contributor added to a gradually developing body of knowledge about electricity.
The Pioneers
A number of key players were poking and probing into electricity, most of them during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Considering the unsophisticated equipment these scientists used, their accomplishments are that much more remarkable. It’s not like they could refer to a textbook—they were writing the textbooks! You’ll recognize some of these scientists as the namesakes of some electrical terms we use today.
Ben Franklin Flies a Kite
Ben Franklin, the colonial printer known for pithy quotes who is now pictured on $100 bills, is famous for having flown a kite during a lightning storm—a practice not advocated by this author or your local hospital. Franklin was testing his idea that lightning was a form of electrical current. A metal key attached to the kite attracted the lightning as its electrical charge traveled down the kite’s cord and into Franklin’s wrist. As a result of his 1752 kite-flying and his follow-up observations, Franklin developed the terms “conductor,” “charge,” “electrician,” and not surprisingly, “electric shock.”
No comments:
Post a Comment