Experiments and Observations on Electricity

Fontispiece to 1774 edition of
Experiments and observations

Experiments and observations on electricity is a book authored by Benjamin Franklin, from letters sent to Peter Collinson, and first published in 1751. Over the years, it has been printed in four major editions, with supplements in between. The book made Franklin famous worldwide for his scientific observations. One of the more important theories it propounded was about lightning being electricity, which ultimately lead to his lightning rod invention.

Background

Franklin was first attracted to the study of electricity when he saw a showman named Archibald Spencer do magic demonstrations in Boston (in 1743) and in Philadelphia (in 1744).[1] He later purchased Spencer's equipment for his electricity experiments.[2] Then, in 1746, at the age of forty years, Franklin began turning over the affairs of his printing company to his business partner David Hall, and went into semi-retirement so he could carry out research on electricity.[3]

Peter Collinson – a wealthy Quaker cloth merchant, a Fellow of the Royal Society and one of the founders of the Society of Antiquaries of London – donated (in 1746) a Leyden jar battery and an account of new German experiments in electricity to the Library Company of Philadelphia (founded by Franklin). In conducting his electrical research, Franklin made use of the unique battery and other equipment additionally provided by Thomas Penn, son of William Penn—working with a team made up of Ebenezer Kinnersley, Thomas Hopkinson, and Philip Syng. This was the first scientific research laboratory in America. Franklin experimented with static electricity in the middle of 1747, referring to it as "these new wonders";[4] he considered his findings to be non-speculative and something anyone could repeat or prove if they wished.[5]

Book editions

Extract of Letter 1 from Franklin

Franklin spent much time studying this new field of electricity, and sent many letters to Collinson of his findings from 1747 through 1750. Collinson later decided to publish the letters, giving reasons that the information in them would be of importance to the public. The first collection of these letters was published in England in 1751.[6] It was a small book of eighty-six numbered pages that Franklin had also updated.[7] The book included an unsigned preface written by Dr. John Fothergill[8] and sold for half a crown.[9]

There was a French translation of the book, published in 1752, which contained an experiment suggesting that a long, pointed iron rod would attract a lightning bolt from a thunderstorm cloud. This was the prelude to his famous lightning rod. French scientists did as he had suggested and lightning struck the iron rod as Franklin had predicted. Franklin obtained instant fame, as he had just proven that lightning bolts and electricity were one and the same. He also showed that this "electric fluid" was attracted to a sharply pointed iron rod, where the other end was put into the ground to create a path for safe conduction.[10] Thus, a way of diverting lightning bolts from wooden buildings – and preventing them from going aflame due to lightning hits – had been discovered.[11]

The book was expanded (with additional material) and reprinted in 1753 under the title, Supplemental Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Part II. made at Philadelphia in America, by Benjamin Franklin, Esq., and communicated in several letters to P. Collinson, Esq. of London, F.R.S. London: E. Cave, 1753. It was published once again in 1754, with pages now numbering up to 154, and titled, New Experiments and Observations on electricity – Part III. All three parts were published, and consecutively paged, as a third edition in 1760, 1762, and 1764. There was an expanded, fourth edition in 1769 that Franklin personally supervised while he was in London, which had additional scientific material not associated with electricity. Franklin then published a fifth edition in 1774, of just under 500 pages, of scientific material and electricity principle theories.[4][7]

There were several translations of Experiments and observations on electricity.[12] In addition to the English and French editions, the book had German (1758), Italian (1774) and Latin versions, and this made Franklin famous worldwide.[13][4][14] The book is Franklin's only scientific work,[15] and is recognized as America's most important scientific publication of the eighteenth century.[16][17] The theories that Franklin developed in the book formed the basis for subsequent research on electricity.[11] All editions of the book were yet being printed in Europe until 1941.[18]

Awards

Benjamin Franklin was given the Copley Medal by the Royal Society in 1753, in recognition of his work in electricity as reported in this book.[19]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Benge 2005, p. 106.
  2. ↑ Benge 2005, p. 107.
  3. ↑ Campbell 1999, p. 53.
  4. 1 2 3 Campbell 1999, p. 54.
  5. ↑ Campbell 1999, p. 55.
  6. ↑ Krull 2013, p. 57.
  7. 1 2 "From Benjamin Franklin to Peter Collinson, 28 March 1747". Founders Online. National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ Cohen 1956, pp. 432, 478.
  9. ↑ Smyth 1905, p. 15.
  10. ↑ Doren 1948, p. 56.
  11. 1 2 Morgan 2003, pp. 13–14.
  12. ↑ Delbourgo 2006, p. 294.
  13. ↑ Grimnes 2014, p. 496.
  14. ↑ Wood 2005, p. 99.
  15. ↑ Rosenberg 2009, p. 212.
  16. ↑ Kurutz 1980, p. 212.
  17. ↑ Smith 2006, p. 181.
  18. ↑ Krull 2013, p. 59.
  19. ↑ "Awarded Copley metal". World of Influence. Twin Cities Public Television. 2002. Retrieved July 14, 2015.

Sources

External links

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