The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-08-14
ELECTRICITY.


Fl
What is electricity ?" is a favo,
ite query with people who desire Z
get rise" out of scientific man
And when he fails to answer It i,
the same simple fashion that b,
might treat the question "IVhat i
a biscuit?" the questioner cries out
Aha You profess to know al
about electricity. Why, you cam
even tell what it is %
, Now, to tell what a thing is'-
that is, to define it's to state it:
relations with something more ia.
mlilar. The particular familia.
thing that the questioner is think
ing OF IN this case is ordinary mat
ter. Heat has been explained to
MIN as vibration of material mar.
ticles. Light, he has been told ia
wave motion in the ether, and he
understands the ether to be a kind
or matter or a substance resem-
bling matter il 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, it
would be just as correct to say that
we 90 not know what matter is as
that we do not know what electrici-
~ is. As matter of fact. we do
not know what matter is, and the
latest plausible theory of it builds
1t up on an electric basis, SO that on
this theory the idea of electricity i,
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 secondarilv, through its action
upon matter-the light or heat that
1t 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 the
former, illogical though this NAV
be. After the scientist has stated
all this the reply comes back, eyes. /
understand all that, and it. is
most clear, | am sure, but tell 'pe.
hen, what is electricity anyway?"
Another source of confusion to
he lay mind is that scientific men
10 not always use the word "elec-
rlclty" to mean the same thing. 4
The engineer often employs it to
xpress the thing that the theoret-
cal electrician calls electric ener-
y"
To find the energy of electricity
that is, its ability to do work.
be electrician multiplies the guam
lty of electricity by the potentia
r tension under which it exists
Tut to the engineer this product
self measures the thing that he
ais electricity"
Inc work that pound ef watel 2
lay do by falling foot is one foot !
ound. The water is the same after
llling as before, though its energy y
less. So to the electrician IL
uantity of electricity at 100 ,olSs
precisely the same as at one volt q
lough the former is able to do .
nndred times as much work. Z
This difference in meaning causes
lousands OF disputes among stu
ATS. electricity is q form of
lergy," says one, Gust like light
!. heat" ooh, no." is the reply.
t is not energy at all, though it 4
ay possess or convey energy.n One 1
sspu1nt. is talking about the cleo \
lefty of the physical and the other
'out that of the engineer; hence
cir dispute is merely a matter of
finltion, though they do not know ba
What wonder that some people On On
e still content to regard the whole sal
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