Eric Light Physics 1010 ePortfolio Essay

Electricity
I recently read a book that includes a description of what would happen if the U.S. was the victim of an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP). In an instant everything with an electrical circuit would be fried. This even includes all the replacement parts that happen to be in the affected area. Nothing electrical would work, at all. The American way of life would be completely changed; nothing would be how it used to be. The modern worlds dependency on electricity cannot be fully realized until it is taken away. In the story I mentioned above, not only are the obvious things like TVs and computers affected, but even the things necessary to survive are compromised. Pumps that supply water, machinery that is used to produce food, and modes of transportation would all be stopped. We would be transported back in time over a century in an instant. Of course with a lot of hard work, entire grids can be replaced and new parts constructed and installed. Thankfully the knowledge would still exist. I mentioned that our culture would be taken back in time over a hundred years, but of course electricity has been around much longer than that. It has just been in the last hundred years or so that electricity has become so common place that society has moved past having it as a convenience, and now completely depends on it. Actually, electricity has always existed, like gravity and other physical things, it just is.

The previous statement would debunk the belief that electricity was invented by Benjamin Franklin. First off, since electricity has always existed, it cannot be invented, however it can be discovered. Ben Franklin didnt discover it either. Man has been aware of the phenomenon of electricity since six-hundred years or so before Christ. The Greek philosopher Thales, who even pre-dates Socrates, was aware of, and could produce static electricity. This was done by rubbing fur and amber together. This early conjuring of electrical power had much to do with how electricity got its name. In the 1600s the new Latin word of Electricus was created from the Greek word Elektron which means amber. Of course back in the B.C. the people didnt have much of a use for electricity like we do today, but they could make some really cool sparks. Most of the experiments, and technological advances of these

Figure 1 Thales of Miletus, writing at around 600 BC, noted that rubbing fur on various substances, such as amber would cause them to attract specks of dust and other light objects

early times that involved electricity where more to do with magnetism, and for centuries, scientists of the time had no idea that they were related. The relationship between the two was discussed by Gerolamo Cardano in 1550. It was in the late 16th century that Dr. William Gilbert, using Cardanos writings began experimenting with electricity. He noted that electrified substances attracted other substances, when magnets only attracted iron. He discovered that many substances were capable of manifesting electrical properties besides amber, such as wax, sulphur, and glass. These things were known as electrics, now they would be called conductors. Robert Boyle added resin to this list, and also showed that electricity could travel in a vacuum and did not depend on air for transportation.

In 1660 Otto von Guericke introduced the first electrostatic generator. This technology slowly improved over the next century. These generators though for the most part where only used for conducting electrical experiments. In was unable to find any sort of early appliances For the most part the mystery of electric power scientist got to experience as they during these many years of experimentation released his findings on electrics, conductors, which hold electrical charges. C.F. du Fay versions of opposing polarities, called vitreous experiments he found that these two could
Figure 2 Early electrostatic generator

studying this topic, I that these operated. was only a thing that experimented. It was that Stephen Grey and non-electrics, came up with the first and resinous. In his cancel each other out.

Now we can start talking about Benjamin Franklins contribution to the electrical world. It was during his studies of the previous scientists work that he came up with his theory that led to the famous kite story. It was at this time that mankind was introduced to the fact that lightning is a product of electricity. He was not the first person to conduct this experiment, but it was his writings that inspired these previous attempts. This experiment was

instrumental in the inventing of the lightning rod, which was probably the first electrical product that could benefit the general consumer.

Figure 3 animated picture of Benjamin Franklins lightning and key on a kite experiment

Benjamin Franklin also fine tuned Fays work and came up with the terms of positive and negative to explain the polarity of electricity. I didnt want to imply that Franklin was not extremely important in the study of electricity; I only wanted to correct a widely believed myth.

The work Franklin did and the fact he didnt believe he owned his work, but should share it with all that led him to never paten anything. His work and designs were public domain. It was Ben Franklin that inspired so many more scientists that followed him than he was inspired by when it came to electricity. In fact the list is so long that we will skip quite a bit form here. At this point I need to skip ahead to electrical namesake celebrities of Coulomb, Ohm, and Hertz. From there I will conclude with the competing fathers of public consumption electronics Tesla and Edison. Charles Coulomb in the late 18th century made a remarkable breakthrough in the attractiveness of an electric charge. His work was important enough to have it immortalized in the study of electricity twice. First he came up with Coulombs Law, and then for this, his name is used as a unit of measurement for an electrical charge. Of course like most all siectific terms it has been abbreviated to the letter C, but when you see C in an equation, it stands for Coulomb. The law that he

Figure 4 Electrical Force equation alongside Gravitational Force equation

instituted is, in appearance and action a lot like the inverse square law of Newtons for gravitational force (see figure 4). Coulomb discovered that the force between two electrical charges where proportionately related to the power of each charge, and the distance between them. The further they were apart the exponentially more charge needed to exist to have the same force. The main difference between this electrical law and the gravitational one is, gravity only has an attracting force, while electricity can not only attract, but also repel.

Another everyday name in the world of electricity is Ohm. Gerog Simon Ohm studied electricity centered on things like force and current. He is the namesake of the amount of the measurement of resistance in a circuit. He realized that things that where powered, produced resistance to an electrical current, and thus needed to push more power to keep things in balance. Much like a flowing body of water, when electricity meets some sort of resistance, it needs more umph behind it to keep at the same rate as before the obstruction. The most important part about this in our everyday world is that all the electrical things that we have become so heavily dependent on, are resistance. Heinrich Hertz is very important in our world today. If you like being on the receiving, or entertained side of broadcasting, then his work is instrumental to you. Hertz, scientifically shortened to Hz is the measurement of wave frequency. In his study of wave frequencies, he concluded that electricity is in electromagnetic waves. While it may not be electromagnetic waves that keep our TVs and radios loaded with content, it is his frequency work that makes them possible. The Hz in science is the way to measure frequency, and in our case, how we tune in. This of course takes us to Edison and Tesla. This era, in the late 19th and early 20th century is when electricity comes home to the average consumer. Until now, other than Bens lightning rod, most of the regular people, outside of a lab really didnt come across or benefit from electricity. These two and others working with them, and with their research are really what led to us taking it for granted today. Edison is credited for inventing the light bulb, even though Tesla supporters would disagree. Both of the men advanced the consumer electrical market with the development of

how power was supplied. Edison, with the backing of General Electric was a champion of direct current, DC, while Tesla and Westinghouse went with alternating current, AC. In 1893 at the Worlds Columbian International Expo, it was Teslas less expensive system that one the bid for lighting. These two would be competing advisories for years. This of course is what was best for the consumer, because of the competition of these great minds, many inventions where either created by them or made possible because of them. As much as it is debated which one deserves more credit for their accomplishments, I would have to say that they were dependant on each other and it brought out their best. With their best we as the people that follow generations after them get to benefit. Of course that is until you think about the EMP attack that I brought up in the beginning of my paper. It is because of all these things that have made our lives easier, and that we have become dependent on, that we have become slaves to this technology. That is why an EMP attack would be so much more devastating than a destructive bomb. An EMP attack would leave all of us alive to suffer for our dependency, which of course would cause more chaos and problems. I do have to say however, that as you look through this brief history that I compiled, and the more extensive ones that I have compiled this from, we are a people of technological advancement. This horror story scenario can be completely negated if the great minds of our time work as the great minds previously did, and advance us out of this sort of danger.