In ancient times, lightning was seen as a tool of the gods. In Viking legend, it was Thor’s hammer striking an anvil in the sky that was responsible for lightning. For the Greeks, it was Zeus who threw lightning down to the earth. North American Indian tribes thought that lightning was produced by a mystical bird with flashing feathers whose flapping caused thunder. Even now, hundreds of years after the first scientific work with lightning, people remain in awe of its power. In the 18th century, the first systematic scientific study of lightning was carried out by Benjamin Franklin. Before Franklin’s experiments, electrical science had grown to the point of separating positive and negative charges, and had developed primitive capacitors. The sparks produced in laboratories were noted as similar to lightning, but it was Franklin who designed an experiment to prove that lightning was electrical.
Benjamin Franklin believed that clouds must be electrically charged, which would mean that lightning must also be electrical. For his first experiment, he stood on an electrical stand with an iron rod in one hand to achieve an electrical discharge between the other hand and the ground. If Franklin’s belief that the clouds were electrically charged was correct, then sparks should leap between the iron rod and a grounded wire held by and insulating wax candle. This test method was published in London and performed in both England and France. Thomas Francois D’Alibard of France was the first to successfully perform this experiment in May of 1752, when sparks were seen jumping from the iron rod during a thunderstorm.
Before Benjamin Franklin achieved results from his first experiment, he devised a better way of testing his hyp...
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...wave). Lightning is often seen long before its thunder is heard. This is because sound travels at about 343 m/s though air, much more slowly than 3.00x108 m/s, the speed of light. While a lightning strike takes less than a second to complete, the sound of its thunder often lasts much longer. There are many reasons for this. The shape of the lightning bolt is a major factor, as all parts are not an equal distance from the listener. Sound produced by closer portions of the bolt will be the first of the thunder a listener hears, and sound produced by portions of the bolt that are farther away will be heard later. Another factor is that objects on the ground interfere with the sound, and echoes from hills and other objects can perpetuate thunder. Often lightning occurs in groups, so the sounds from multiple bolts sometimes overlap to cause longer lasting thunder.
To test this theory Chemist Stanley Miller and Physicist Harold Urey did a famous experiment in 1950. Mixing Methane, Ammonia, Water, and Hydrogen. Then the sparked the mixture to signify lightning. The result was amino acids.
From a young age, he was extremely smart. His intelligence is shown in his many inventions such as his experiment in electricity. One of Franklins greatest electricity experiment was the kite. The kite was made out of two strips of cedar which reached to the corners of a thin handkerchief. The kite was raised with a tail, loop and a string with a sharp pointed wire, rising a foot above the wood. When thunder clouds come over the kite, the wire will draw electric fire from the kite. Franklin found pleasure in science and wanted to educate his citizens as well as himself on electricity Another great invention that Franklin created was the lightening rod. The lightening rod was a small rod, about three to four feet which stuck out of the ground and the other side was about six to eight feet, which would be placed on the highest part of the building. When the lightening hit the rod, it would be conducted to the ground through the wire which would prevent a fire and create electricity. Through these inventions, it is shown how Benjamin Franklin proved his greatness by tampering with electricity which can be a very difficult thing to
Ewald Georg von Kleist is a German scientist who created the capacitor in November of 1745. Regrettably, Kleist did not have the proper paper work to claim in the records that the design of the capacitor was his idea. Many months later, a Dutch professor named Pieter van Musschenbroek created the Leyden jar, the world’s first capacitor (on record). It was a simple jar that was half filled with water and metal above it. A metal wire was connected to it and that wire released charges. Benjamin Franklin created his own version of the Leyden jar, the flat capacitor. This was the same experiment for the more part, but it had a flat piece of glass inside of the jar. Michael Faraday was the first scientist to apply this concept to transport electric power over a large distance. Faraday created the unit of measurement for a capacitor, called Farad.
Info: Riordan, R. (2005). The Lightning Thief. Narrated by Jesse Bernstein. New York: Listening Library. MP3 Audiobook. ASIN: B000A5CJSQ
One thunderous afternoon on June 1752, Benjamin Franklin conducted what is known today as the “Kite Experiment”. He wanted to prove that if one object was electrical, the energy from that object could be transferred to another object, therefore being classified as electricity and lightning. With his son William, Ben took a string and attached the kite to it, then he attached an iron key to the kite. Next, they tied a thin metal wire from the key and put the wire inside a Leyden jar which stored all the electrical charge. His experiment profitably showed that his accusations were correct. Many other scientist tried the same experiment and were electrocuted, but Ben Franklin was the lucky one. He changed the world of science.
In 1751, Franklin published some his theories on electricity. Franklin had an attraction to electricity and invented the Franklin Stove, and coordinated the kite-and-key experiment. Franklin’s most famous experiment was when he flew a kite in a thunderstorm to prove that lighting is an electrical power. Franklin continued to pursue his interests in invention by inventing the lighting rod, swim fins, bifocals, and musical instruments.
During the 1740’s, Franklin led many advances in science and entrepreneurship. He invented various types of gadgets from instruments ranging from the armonica, rocking chair, flexible catheter, American penny, to conducting the famous kite-and-key experiment which proved that lightning was electricity. His outstanding research and work in these subjects led his 1743 “A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge” brochure to become the establishing document of the American Philosophical Society which made him easily the richest man in Pennsylvania by the time he was 42 years
Most people growing up have seen the iconic image of Franklin and his son holding the string of a kite while in a thunderstorm. This experiment allowed him to prove the electrical nature of lightening by trapping it in a jar. Another great invention of his was the lightening rod which would allow a building or structure to take a lightening strike and not burn to the ground. The theory behind this invention was to have a pointed metal rod pointed into the air and have a wire attached to it running to the ground. Doing this would allow the electricity from the lightening strike to follow the wire and safely into the ground. These rods are still being utilized today on all types of structures (Chaplin, 2007).
The sound of thunder that follows a flash of lightning is from the heat of the lightning. The crack that you hear is air expanding. The sound comes from the vibrations that lightening causes. The reason we hear thunder after we see lightenin...
Benjamin Franklin is known for conducting lots of experiments dealing with electricity. His most famous being the kite experiment. He became fascinated with electricity when he was accidently shocked in 1746. Benjamin wondered if there was a way to protect buildings and the people inside of them from lightning. He thought that this could benefit people in the
Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were scientists and politicians, great contributions in both areas. The Fathers Madison and Adams were students taught of Newtonian sciences and scientific methodology approaches to human problems. Their political careers brought the teachings of science to their push for a democratic nation and lead it with science values. However, sometimes due to their brief study of concepts Newton discovered, James and John misinterpret the nature of the science and misuse the laws of nature. Cohen describes the idea that science concepts and politics can have negative transferability. Benjamin Franklin's scientific experiments on electric current were a crowning achievement of the Age of Reason, the Age in which humans could rely on themselves to exist and protect themselves from danger and benefit from the forces. The lightning rod, or "Franklin rod" during the time, became the exemplary product. This became a political debate when deciding whether the shape the rods on top of buildings ought to be pointed or round-balled. Superstition of the councils and political opponents believed that the rods had invoked lightning and was retribution for playing with the forces of nature. Cohen asserts that because of the importance these four individuals placed on the sciences that the constituents were of same respects.
Benjamin Franklin completed many accomplishments from childhood to adulthood. When he was just 22 he established his first printing business with a partner, Hugh Meredith. Benjamin soon bought out Hugh Meredith's share. In 1732, when Franklin was only 26 he published the first edition of 'Poor Richards Almanack,' the book shows evidence that it was successful for 25 years. 'Poor Richards Almanack' allowed Franklin to retire from business a rich man in 1748. In 1741 Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin Stove. The stove was handy for both, heating a room or cooking. In 1752 Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous electricity experiment with a kite. In 1757 Franklin returned to England as a Colonial agent for Pennsylvania. Next, in the year of 171 Benjamin began to write his own autobiography. In 1775 as a member of the Continental Congress, Franklin advocated separation from England. In 1776 Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence, in the fall he goes to France to plead the American cause. In 1778, Benjamin arranged the American Alliance with France, which soon led...
The Electric Franklin. "Benjamin Franklin's Inventions." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 4 July 1995. Web. 23 May 2014.
Faraday continued his electrical experiments. In 1832, he proved that the electricity induced from a magnet, voltaic electricity produced by a battery, and static electricity was all the same. He also did significant work in electrochemistry, stating the First and Second Laws of Electrolysis. This laid the basis for electrochemistry, another great modern industry.
In 1750, Benjamin Franklin wanted to prove that lightning was caused by electricity. He tested his theory with an experiment in which he flew a kite with a metal key attached to it into a storm cloud. The historical facts are not clear as to if he actually carried out the experiment, which is why there is doubt that he is the discoverer of electricity. But, we still credit him with the idea. He also did other experiments concerning electricity, but others after him would have to ...