The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1919-03-14
ELECTRICITY.
Why Il 10 Difficult For the LsymAa -
Understand What II 10.
What is electricity q is a IA,

Onoerstano what TX 10.
~What is electricity z" is a favor
ite query with people who desire to
@get rise out Of scientific man
And when he fails TO answer it IN
the same simple fashion that le
might treat the question "What B,
a biscuit the questioner cries ou'
"Ahal You profess to know
about electricity. Why, you can {
even tell what it is"
Now, to 'tell what a thing is
that is, to define its to state is
relations with something more ia
miliar. The particular familia.
thing that the questioner is think.
ing Of in this case is ordinary mat
Der. Heat has been explained to
him az a vibration of material par
ticles Light, he has been told, is
wave motion in the ether, and he
under tands 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 DO not know what matter is as
that we do not kaow what electrici-
ty Is. As a matter Of fact, We do
not know what ma, IT is, and the
latest plaus bic theoy Of it builds
It up on an electric basis, so that on
th.s theory the idea of electricity Ia
morc 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 action
upon mstter-the light or heat that
II causes matter to give out, the at
traction that it causes certain sub
stances to exert, and 20 on To the
man in the street, therefArs, matter
, Is familiar, and he demands state
ment OF the latter in terms Of the
former, illogical though tbs may
be. After the scientist has stated
! all this the reply comes back, ".Yss.
! understand all that, and il 10
most clear, ] am sure, but tell me.
then, what is electricity anyway
Another source of confusion to
the lay mind is that scientific men
do not always use the word "elec-
tricity" TO mean the same thing.
The engineer often employs 1t to
express the thing that the theSrst-
Zeal electrician calls electric ma
U."
To find the energy Of electricity
that is, its ability to do work
the electrician multiplies the guam
tity OF electricity by the potential
or tension under which II exists.
But to the engineer this product
itself measures the thing that be
calls "electricity."
The work that pound Of water
may do by f,i4ng foot is one fpot
pound. Tie water is the same sfter
Ealing as before. ihoggh its energy
Il less. 81 'n &c electrician =
quantity OF electricity at 100 -olte
= prccisc'v re a.. as nj ons volt.
Aough tie in-.-cr is able 70 do .
hundred tSi's a. iagch work.
This dn.oi, lso' ~ nes.L-Ig cause,
thousapls Of d.spates among stu
dents. electricity is a form OF
energy" saws orc, "iust Ike light
or heat" "Oh, no." is the reply.
at is not energy at all, though il
may possess o. convey energy" Ono
lisputant is talking about the cleo
tricity Of tie physical and the Other
about that Of the engineer; hence
their dispute is merely matter o
definition, though they do not know
H. What wonder that some people
re f'ill content to regard the whole
sabjsct ss = civiliz Mumbo SSn.
Of st 10 10 laz. hA-- 49,