Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1913-10-22
A. SIMPLE EXPLANATION } m
III Y. 5 On 81 lEz,lL.,ElCTRICITY
The Mysterious Current IS q Form
Of Energy How it is Obtained
u from Magnets and Other Sources.

5f54 III lLlItrUy---lAOWh s IL Din ~ M OUJdlACu
u from Magnets and Other Sources.
Electricity IS but . form Of ener
gy. 81 s.s:a ..s. 5... s5a5
Tits true that we do not know the
exact nature Of electricity, but this
is immaterial. 1t wouldn't do us a
particle Of good ito know just what
it is, or why it is, so long as we,
know what it will do. # Steam is al
so a form Of energy. We know.
that steam is a gas capable of great
expansion and that Us about all we
actually know about it. Nobody
wants to know anything more about
steam than the fact that its expan
sive force can be utilized in a steam
engine for power purposes. Steam
is merely water made. gaseous by
the application of heat It cannot
be seen any more than electricity.
What we see and niscall steam is
merely water vapor when the steam
is condensings back into water.
Steam itself is quite invisible. s1S I. I
Because electricity is invisible is
no reason why we should believe it
belongs to- the mysterious. We real
,ly know great deal about it. We
can measure it with, greatest accur-
acy and tell just how much work a
given amount of this energy will do.
We can easily figure out how much
light it will give, how much heat it
will produce, or how many horse
power of work it will accomplish in
a given time. III. ...~@..> Ia
There are three ways of produc-
ing electricity in quantities. Electri-
city can be produced by. friction,
called static electricity, but in this
form it is of no use commercially,
except for experimental purposes.
Electricity can be produced by the
action of chemicals. The electric
battery is too we'll known to need
any description. The action of the
chemicals in breaking up and tear
ing apart the different chemical
contents of the battery requires
considerable force or energy. Ener-
gy cannot be lost but it can be
changed into other forms. This
chemical energy is changed into
heat energy and into electrical en-
ergy. The electricity produced in
this way can be used for various
purposes. "... &:}#;@ 5.t.<s ~.
Electricity such as we use for
light, heat and power is secured
from large magnets The electric
Idynamo, or. generator in the power
house is really a series Of powerful
electromagnetic between the poles
OF which are whirled# a number of
heavy copper conductors mounted
on an armature." Moving these
copper conductors across the lines
of force" between the poles of the
magnets produces electrical energy.
It requires considerable mechanical
energy to move these copper bars
as the pulling power of the magnets
must be overcome. This mechanical
energy is merely changed into cleo
trical energy. The armature of a
dynamo, or generator, is Whirled by
steam engine or a waterwheel. It
makes no difference what form of
mechanical power is used, the re-
suit is the same. This mechanical
energy is changed into electrical en-
ergy. This, in turn, can be chang
ed into light energy, into heat en-
ergy or back into mechanical ener-
gy through the medium of an cleo
trio motor. ~ f. -. *.s.
For the sake Of simplicity engi-
neers assume that electricity is an
invisible fluid, without weight, ca
pable of very rapid motion. It will
flow over metal wire just as easily
as. water will flow Through a metal
pipe. Water cannot escape from
the pipe, owing to- the resistance Of
the iron, without rupturing the
metal. Electricity cannot escape
from the wire, owing to the resist
ance Of the air through which it
cannot flow any more than water
can flow through iron. i.