Scribd
Upload
210 views2 pages

The History of Electricity

1) The document discusses the history of electricity from ancient experiments with static electricity to modern uses of electricity today. 2) Key developments included Otto's invention of the electrostatic generator in 1663 and Kleist and Musschenbroek's invention of the first capacitor, which allowed electricity to be stored and transported. 3) Modern appliances have harnessed static electricity, while Faraday's discovery that electricity produces magnetism led to inventions like the electric motor that convert between electrical and mechanical energy.

Uploaded by

John Blakemore
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
210 views2 pages

The History of Electricity

1) The document discusses the history of electricity from ancient experiments with static electricity to modern uses of electricity today. 2) Key developments included Otto's invention of the electrostatic generator in 1663 and Kleist and Musschenbroek's invention of the first capacitor, which allowed electricity to be stored and transported. 3) Modern appliances have harnessed static electricity, while Faraday's discovery that electricity produces magnetism led to inventions like the electric motor that convert between electrical and mechanical energy.

Uploaded by

John Blakemore
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

John Blakemore Dr.

Jonathan Henry Foundations of Ethics and Science 13 March 2012

The History of Electricity


There are two forms of electricity Static electricity and current electricity. Current electricity is also known as electric current. In static electricity, the electrons stay in one place whereas in electric current electrons are constantly moving along a wire. You have probably felt static electricity in the past. Walking across the carpet can make electrons build up in the body; these electrons are called electric charge. Through history, many people have experimented with static electricity. Thales did experiments with amber, the fossilized resin of pine sap around 600 BC. Later William Gilvert made a device called a versorium with tiny metal arrow pivoting freely on a needle, much like a modern compass. According to Franklin, the total electric charge in the universe must be constant. This statement is now known as the Law of Charge Conservation. He realized that electric charge can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred from a place with too much charge to a place with too little. An electroscope is a device for detecting static electricity. An object with static electricity is said to be charged. When static electricity leaves the object by touching a conductor, we say the object has discharged. Early experimenters with static electricity had a problem because they could not produce a large enough electrostatic charge. Otto, in 1663 invented an Electrostatic Generator capable of producing stronger static charges than ever before. Ewald von Kleist built a device to trap electricity. He

intended to bottle electricity just as we would use a bottle to store water. A year later Musschenbroek improved on Kleist idea and successfully invented the first electric capacitor. Electricity could be stored and transported as long as no one touched the foil or the sphere of the Leyden Jar. Modern appliances have made use of static electricity. An electrostatic precipitator uses static electricity to clean the dust from air. Large electrostatic precipitators are used in factories today in smoke stacks to remove dust or other pollutions. God made mankind with an internal clock set on a 24 hour cycle. But since electricitys discovery and invention of the light bulb, people no longer have to go to bed at sunset. Electric light allows productive indoor activities after dark. By the late 1900s mankinds internal clock was on a 25 hour cycle. The reason of this being that electric light has lengthened the period of daylight for most people. In 1800 a Italian scientist created an electrochemical cell, a device where a chemical reaction produces electricity. Today a voltaic pile is called a battery. Electolysis is used today to purify elements that otherwise would be extremely rare in pure form. Faraday believed that since electricity produces magnetism, magnetism should be able to make electricity. Faraday built an electric motor which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Tesla, another scientist invented new designs for generators and motors. Without Teslas improvements on the ideas of Faraday as well as Edison the modern use of electricity would be a dream and therefore, the world we view today would be a completely different story,

You might also like