The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-01-16
ELECTRICITY.
Why IL is Difficult For the LaymaR -
Understand What IL ls.

Why Il ls Difficult For the Layman -
Understand What IL Is.
"What is electricity z" is a favor
ite query with people who desire to
"get a rise" out of a scientific man.
And when he fails to answer it In
the same simple fashion that he
might treat the question 'What is
a biscuit" the questioner cries out:
"Aha! You profess to know all
about electricity. Why, you can't
even tell what it isw
Now, to "tell what thing Isl
that is, to define its to state its
relations with something more fa-
mdliar. The particular familiar
thing that the questioner is think
ing Of in this case is ordinary mat
ter. Heat has been explained to
him as a vibration of material par
ticles. Light, he has been told, is
a wave motion in the ether, and he
understands the ether to be kind
of matter or a substance resem-
bling matter in some particulars.
1t is not to be denied that no
such simple general relationship
can be stated between electricity
and matter. But, this being so, Ii
would be just as correct to say that
we 90 not know what matter is al
that we do not know what electrici-
ty Is. As a matter Of fact, we dc
not know what matter is, and the
latest plausible theory of it builds
it up on an electric basis, so that on
this theory the idea of electricity. il
more fundamental than that Of
matter. Unfortunately our senses
have been evolved by contact with
matter and are trained to detect
only matter. Electricity they know
only secondarily, through its actor
upon matter-the light or heat tha
it causes matter to give out, the at
traction that it causes certain sub
stances to exert, and so on. To the
man in the street, therefore, matter
Is familiar, and he demands state
ment of the latter. in terms Of th'
former, Illogical though this ma,
be. After the scientist has stated
all this the reply comes back, eyes
I understand all that, and it i
most clear, I am sure, but tell me
then, what is electricity anyway"
Another source Of confusion t,
,, the lay mind is that scientific mel
do not always use the word "elec
tricity" to mean the same thing
The engineer often employs it t.
express the thing that the theoret
ical electrician calls electric ener
g."
To find the energy Of electricit
that is, its ability to do work
the electrician mulhplies the guam
tity of electricity by the potentia
or tension under which it exist!
But to the engineer this produc
itself measures the thing that h
calls Electricity"
The work that e pound OF waite
may do by falling foot is one foo
pound. The water is the same ate
falling as before, though its energ
is less. So to the electrician
quantity of electricity at 100 volt
is precisely the same as at one vol
though the former is able to do
hundred times as much work.
I This difference in meaning cause
thousands of disputes among str
dents. electricity is 3 form {
| energy" says one, Gust like lgf
or heat" ooh, nol' is the repl
'It is not energy at all, though
. may possess or convey energy" On
: dhputant is talking about the ele'
tzicity of the physical and the 9th,
about that of the engineer; here
r their dispute is merely a matter I
r definition, though they do not kno
ID Il. What wonder that some poop
b { re still content to regard the who
I'd subjoct as a civiliz, | Mumbo Jr q
ar op- st. 10 is lel biz
u Mr.. Meaply-It's something dreadful
te Ny wife is always asking me for moi
8. It's money. money. money. all Il
O. tme.
a, Sir. Japson-W Why. whatever does 81
pa 4, with all this money!
~ Mr.. Neanly--Ehf Oh, don't knsv
Ia haven't given he- any yet
le