The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1919-08-22

NV q 10 Difficult For the laymas !
Understand What N L.


what is electricity" is a favoi
ito query with people who desire I
get a rise" out of scientific maj
And when lie fails TO answer II
the same simple fashion that
might treat the question "Whst
. biscuit?' the questioner cries Out
"Ahal You profess 10 know a.
about electricity. Why. you can
even tell what il isp'
Now, to '-tell what a thing is
that is. to define its to state il
relations with something more Z.
miliar. The particular familia
thing that the qaestloacr is thin.
ing OF IN this case Is ordinary INA
ter 'NG has been explained {
him ,irstion II material par
ticles TX. he Las been told, =;
ava, y. aion in the ether, and y.
under 80 Ire ether to be kin.
OF muT'n n substance resen
bling iaa,tsr IN some particulars.
Il is not 10 be denied that II,
such simple general Relationship
can be stated between electririts
and r:lattcr But. this being SO, i'
you'd be last as correct TO say that
We 90 not know what matter is as
that we DO not know what electrici-
ty is. as a matter Of fact, we do
not know what matter is, and the
latest plausible theory OF it builds
II up on an electric basis, so that on
this theory the idea OF electricity is
more fundamental than that o,
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 matter-the light or heat thai
1t causes matter TO give out, the II
traction that il causes certain sub
stances TO exert, and so on. To the
man In the street, there fore, matter
Is familiar. and he demands state
ment Of the latter in terms Of the
former. illogical though this may
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 ne
then, what is electricity anyway"
Another source Of confusion I.
the lay mind is that scientific me
do not always use the word "elc
tricity" 10 mean the same thin
The engineer often employs il
express the thing that the thecr
ical electrician calls electric en-
gy."
To find the energy Of electric ~
that is, its ability to do woT -
the electrician multiplies the Q IN.
tity OF electricity by tire poteu, a,
or tension under which il ek -
But 10 til engineer This proc ~
itself measure. the thing that J
calls ~vcc, civ
The wo'4 tia; FOUND of va
may c. b. falling .oot is one f.
pound Tie water - The same Aft
falling as before. though its ener;
is less. 80 10 the electrician
quantity Of cleciririi ut 100 -ol
Is pre- sclg lie -a., - II one 20.
thougl 'h~ io-rcr T. aire TO do
hunif- t',y Is ~ ita work.
This d.re-eneciu meaning eau,
thouss nds Of Dip. {, among al.
dents. ",.lcciricity is form
energy" says ole. Just like hgh
or heat" "Oh, no." is the repl
at is uot energy OF all, though
may possess or convey energy" On'
iispntant is talking about the elec
tricity OF the physical and the othe
about that Of the engineer; henc.
their dispute is merely matter .
definition, though they do not know
ii. What wonder that some peop :
re f.iil coz IN to regard the whols
sab t 1, - 81 liz Nrmbo Jvu--
J %. st / . .eK hh- /.
hs~s esr.iaelss Bury Their psse-
Scminoic4 bury their dead on ton
III the rroand after wrapping them