The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1910-03-25
ELECTRICITY.
Why Il IS Difficult For the Layman 20
Understand What Il Is.


"Whai Is elcciric..ys" Is q favor
ite query with people Who desire 20
"get rise" ont of a scientific man.
And whom he fails 10 answer it IN
the same simple fashion that he
might treat the question ''What is
a licu.t." the qucstioner cries out:
"Ahal You profess to know all
about electricity. Why. you can't
even tell what it is"
Now, 10 tell what a thing is
that is. 10 define it's 10 state its
relations with something more IA
miliar The particular familiar
thing that the questioner Is think
inc Of In this case is ordinary mat
ter. Heat has been explained to
him as Il vibration Of material par
ticles. Light. he has been told, is
wave motion in the ether, and he
understands the ether TO be a kind
Of natter or substance resem-
bling matter in some particulars.
1t is not to be denied that no
such simple general relationship
can he stated between electricity
and matter. But, this heing so, II
woall he just as correct to 'ay that
we do not know what matter is as
that We do not know what elcctrici-
tv is. As a matter of fact. we do
not know what matter is, and the
latest plausible theory Of il builds
il mp on an electric basis. so that on
this theory the idea of electricity is
more fundamental than that OF
matter. Unfortunately our senses
have been evolved by contact with
matter ard are trained 10 detect
only natter Electricity they know
only secondarilv, through its action
upon NJ ter-the light or heat that
ii causes matter to give out, the at
traction that ID causes certain sub
stances 10 exert, and so on To the
man IN the weet, therefore, matter
is familiar. and he demands a state
ment az the latter in terms Of the
I former. illogical though this may
be. After the scientist has stated
All this the reply comes back. Yes,
/ understand all that, and it is
most clear. | am sure. but tell me,
then. what il electricity anyway"
Another source Of confusion 10
the lay mind is that scientific men
do not always use the word "elec-
tricitv' to mean the same thing
The engineer often employs it 10
express the thing that tie theoret-
zeal electrician calls electric ener-
gv."
To find the energy Of electricity
that Is. Its ability 10 do work
the electrician multiplies the guam
tity Of electricity by the potential
or tension under which it exists.
But to the engineer this product
itself measures the thing that he
calls electricity"
The work that a pound Of water
may DO by falling a foot is one foot
pound. The water is the same after
falling as before, though its energy
is less. So to the electrician a
quantity Of electricity at 100 volts
is precisely the same as at one volt,
though the former is able to Do a
hundred time. as much work.
This difference in meaning causes
thousands Of disputes among stu
dents. electricity is a form Of
energy" saws one, lust like light
or heat" "Oh. now is the reply
1T Is not energy at all, though il
may possess OF convey energy One
disputant is talking about the cleo
tricitv of the physical and the Other
about that of the engineer, hence
their dispute is merely a matter o.
definition, though they do not know
it. What wonder that some people
are still content to regard the who'll
subject as civilized Mumbo jun
bcs-St. Louis Republic.