National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-05-09
OF ELECTRIC SCIENCE

Noone OF the modern arts Is attracting |
moro universal attention or making more |
rapid strides than electricity, and yet |
with all tho thought, the ingenuity, and the |
skill Of the modern scientist nature still |
holds the key to this most wonderful i'm
ponderable agent.
An indefinite knowledge was had Of
the presence Of electricity as early as Eve
hundred years before Christ by Diogenes
Laertius Of Thsles, ono Of the seven wise
men, who discovered that by rubbing am
ber II acquired tho peculiar properties of
attraction and repulsion for light bodies.
He gave TO this property the nSmo Elec-
tron, from which comes tho modern Eng
lish term electricity.
Electricity and magnetism arc ESQ
from the other. In other words, elee-
tricity may be generated by magnetic
bodies, aud vice versa, magnetism may
be produced by electricity. This prop
erty was discovered by Prof. Oersted, of
Copenhagen, in 1919, while experiment
ing with an electrical battery and q mag
inetio needle. He discovered that upon
passing a current of electricity In the
vicinity of q magnetic needle it would DO
visibly disturbed, dependent upon the
direction and strength of the current aud
its distance from the needle. Out of this
experiment grew the electro.mapnet. tho
greatest step made toward tho utilization
of this wonderful agent, and perhaps to
Oersted moro than to anv other person
belongs the honor.
Electricity NAV DO generated in one of
five WAYS. viz: by chemical action. heat.
light. or by the exercise of physical force
upon A conductor in a magnetic field, and
by friction, We will first describe tho
simplest form of chemical battery known,
and illustrate by a well.known modern
TYNE of chemical battery how IL generates
n current, then take up the other methods
seriatirp.
The first battery or generator of cleo
tricity known was the yoltaic pole i'm
vented by Volta in 1900. II consisted of
discs Of silver. zine and moiatenod card
board placed in series the card board
being moistened with diluted salt water,
The silver constituted the positive and
the zinc the negative poles of this bat
terry, and on connecting them by a wire
n current of electricity was found pass.
Ing from the silver through tho wire to
the zinc, the dilute salt wator in the discs
acting as the excitant or chemical agent
which created the current. as will be OK
planned further on in connection with
modern gravity battery. Simple as was
this battery in its construction. IL Is n
remarkable fact that there has been no
wide departure from its principles in the
modern art. Ont of IL grew the Daniel
the Bunson. the Grove. tbe Grenet' and
the now familiar lie Clanche, used in
every telephone box and hundreds of
others of more or less merit. But of all
of them not ono has been produced which
is eanable nj peneratino snfficient current
to adapt IL to economical use in lighting.
since the DAYS of Volta. tho Mecca to-.
ward which the ewes of many electrical
scientific investigators have been turned
has been to produce such n battery.
Failure has eyerywhere met THAR
nttemnts. Sir Humnbrev Dayv as early
as 1914 inyented an arc electric lamn.
ming 1000 pairs of battery oells and
with enthusiasm and delight annoinced
lis great feat, But his homes were dashed
a tho ground when IL became anparent
low great must be the expense of such a
dght.
The battery most used in our modern
,elegranb seyvice is nerhans of ma simnle
confirmation as anv made and will serve
our purpose In illustrating how A current
of electricity is generated II is what il
known as the yarley or Hill gravity bat.
terry, and consists simply OF a star SHAPED
niece of zinc suspended from tho edge oil
n glass lar into a solution of sulphurit
acid and water. while on the bottom OF
the lar lies plato of conner attached
uetallically to the outer circuit by a rub
Ter covered wire. Upon this plate /.
deposited such quantity of blue vitriol OF
uiphate of copper, that when dissolved
aalf inch of the zinc.
r. l.
aud all that is necessary to produce 8
current of electricity Is to connect it tc
poles or the copper and zinc plates at the
Top of the lar by a conductor or wire.
Electricity Is generated ONLY wher
there exists q difference of potential OF
electrical pressure, that is to say, when.
ever two points are connected BY con
iuctor having different electrical poton
tials or pressures, a current will flow
rom the point of higher potential to thai
,f lower, Just as water flows from highe,
to lower level. This is exactly wha
takos place in this simple battery, and W,
will now describe as clearly as we can
It's action.
The poles having been connected rs in
dictated, chemical action sets in between
the solution and the two electrodes of tn,
battery. The sulphuric acid in the solu
ton attacks the zirc and causes IL to be
como oxidized and to throw down sulphat,
of zinc, the sulphur of tho suphuric acit
uniting with the zinc in such proportion
~ TO create this new element which i
held in solution in the water; tho oxygei
Being liberated in this process of oxida
lion unites with the copper of the solu
tion and produces metallic copper. whicl
goes to the copper pol, or plate at til,
bottom of the lar. This Is brought abou
by the hydrogen, an element of water be
ing liberated when 1t unites with tn
oxygen of the oxide of copper, thereb,
causing the copper to be set free in metal
lie state and to fall to the bottom as in
dicated. Here, then, chemical work /
done, and tho two plates, copper an,