The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-12-12
AMPERE'S GREAT
WORKS ARE
REVIEWED
Noted Electrician, Born in
France, Was Once Man
without Reason.

without Reason.
The mary queer. hut familiar names
By which electricity is measured aud
distributed, are gcncraliy pu:zling 20
the housewife and to those who have
not had all opportunity TO study the
various uses of electric energy. Since
elcctricit' Is no. substance 1t adds
f.either weight nor size TO tho wire
through which II flows. carrying light,
Electrical measurements are gencr-
ally based on three units-the volt. the
Ohm and the ampere. These terms,
you were told in the first E-!ecturette,
are the names of great pioneers in
electrical research. AS you have
learned. the volt is the unit OF pres
sure OF electricity. so you will be told
in this E-lecturette how the am2ere
Is the unit Of the quantity of flow OF
electric current.
Born nj Lyons.
The ampere receives its name from
Andre Marie Amperc. a great French
scientist and philosopher. who was
rorn at Lyons, France. January 70.
1S'E. All his life Ampere worked over
experiments in electricity. He jiscov-
cred so many important facts about
electricity that II WINS fitting tribute
to his industry that his name has
been immortalized. Maybe long after
Napoleon and Washington are forgot
ten Ampere will live on the lips of
legions OF persons who have TO do
with electricity.
The chief source Of Ampere's fame
for future generations is in his re-
searches in tho science OF electro
dynamics. OF which he was the father.
To obtain an illustration Of what an
ampere means we may turn to the
electric light in our homes. An ordi-
nary sixteen candle power incandes-
cent lamp with carbon fllament. when
lighted UP on a 40 volt line. will take
one-half amperc OF current. A Mazda
lamp gives approximately three timea
as much light with the same amount
OF current. thus making the cost of
light to the housewife much lower.
Wonderful Talents.
Like all tho great electrical inven-
tors. Amperc at an early age displayed
wonderful talents. He was blessed
with n marvellous memory. and 1t is
said that when he reached an advanced
age he was able to quote long pas.
sagts from books he had dcvourcd
when boy OF thirteen years. Back
in those youthful days he had set him,
self about reading a twenty volume
encyclopedia. Everything was grist
{ came to the boys mental mill.
Ampere early developed fondness
for arithmetic, and before he knew
how to read or write no invented q
method Of doing problems by the aid
of several pebbles.
During an illness the boy was limit
cd to n meager diet His continual
study Of problems caused his mother
to take the pebbles from him. Ampere,
not TO be deprived of this form of
mathematics. substituted broadcrumbs
from his limited allowance of biscuit.
As he grew into boyhood Ampere
became more precocious. and his pas
sion for learning was so great that his
mind soon outgrcw the ample family
library. His continued neglect OF cx-
erclse and companionship OF boys of
his own age soon undermined his
health. and he was forced to forcgo
his beloved studies. Despite his
PHYSICIANS warnings. he took up again
his work in higher mathematics and
Latin. He progressed so rapidly that
he mastered Latin in a month!
Health Broken.
This tremendous drain on his men,
~ resources. combined with the news
OF his fathets death at the hands of
the French rctlutionists. broke tho
hoy's health. and for q time his rea.
son was thought to have left him per-
manently. Bat. strange as it may seem,
his recovery was due to concentrated
thought on his part. This story has IL
that one day purely BY chance somo
Letters on Botany" came into Am
pere's hands, and because OF his in
terest in the hook his reason was
awakened once more. Among his va
rious attainmcnts he became profess
SCR OF mathematics at Lyons and later
professor of physics at Bourg.
Later Amperc published many learn
cd papers and books and lived to a
ripened old age. And SO Ampere took
his place with other studious men who
as boys were great searchers for in
formation about electricity and other
scientific subjects. II is little wonder
that these great men have been so
honored when we recollcct that cleo
tricity has conc to be one of the most
important factors in our lives. We
have only to compare what history
says OF the lives and customs of the
people who lived hundred years ago
with the advances Of civilization today
TO understand how much better a
place the world Is to live in since cleo