3/16/2016

ElectricityWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

electricity.Accordingtoacontroversialtheory,theParthiansmayhavehadknowledgeofelectroplating,
basedonthe1936discoveryoftheBaghdadBattery,whichresemblesagalvaniccell,thoughitisuncertain
whethertheartifactwaselectricalinnature.[8]
Electricitywouldremainlittlemorethananintellectualcuriosityfor
millenniauntil1600,whentheEnglishscientistWilliamGilbertmadea
carefulstudyofelectricityandmagnetism,distinguishingthelodestone
effectfromstaticelectricityproducedbyrubbingamber.[6]Hecoinedthe
NewLatinwordelectricus("ofamber"or"likeamber",from,
elektron,theGreekwordfor"amber")torefertothepropertyofattracting
smallobjectsafterbeingrubbed.[9]ThisassociationgaverisetotheEnglish
words"electric"and"electricity",whichmadetheirfirstappearanceinprint
inThomasBrowne'sPseudodoxiaEpidemicaof1646.[10]

BenjaminFranklin
conductedextensiveresearch
onelectricityinthe18th
century,asdocumentedby
JosephPriestley(1767)
HistoryandPresentStatusof
Electricity,withwhom
Franklincarriedonextended
correspondence.

FurtherworkwasconductedbyOttovonGuericke,RobertBoyle,Stephen
GrayandC.F.duFay.Inthe18thcentury,BenjaminFranklinconducted
extensiveresearchinelectricity,sellinghispossessionstofundhiswork.In
June1752heisreputedtohaveattachedametalkeytothebottomofa
dampenedkitestringandflownthekiteinastormthreatenedsky.[11]A
successionofsparksjumpingfromthekeytothebackofhishandshowed
thatlightningwasindeedelectricalinnature.[12]Healsoexplainedthe
apparentlyparadoxicalbehavior[13]oftheLeydenjarasadeviceforstoring
largeamountsofelectricalchargeintermsofelectricityconsistingofboth
positiveandnegativecharges.

In1791,LuigiGalvanipublishedhis
discoveryofbioelectromagnetics,
demonstratingthatelectricitywasthemediumbywhichneuronspassed
signalstothemuscles.[14]AlessandroVolta'sbattery,orvoltaicpile,of
1800,madefromalternatinglayersofzincandcopper,providedscientists
withamorereliablesourceofelectricalenergythantheelectrostatic
machinespreviouslyused.[14]Therecognitionofelectromagnetism,the
unityofelectricandmagneticphenomena,isduetoHansChristianrsted
andAndrMarieAmprein18191820MichaelFaradayinventedthe
electricmotorin1821,andGeorgOhmmathematicallyanalysedthe
electricalcircuitin1827.[14]Electricityandmagnetism(andlight)were
definitivelylinkedbyJamesClerkMaxwell,inparticularinhis"On
PhysicalLinesofForce"in1861and1862.[15]

MichaelFaraday's
discoveriesformedthe
foundationofelectricmotor
technology

Whiletheearly19thcenturyhadseenrapidprogressinelectricalscience,
thelate19thcenturywouldseethegreatestprogressinelectrical
engineering.ThroughsuchpeopleasAlexanderGrahamBell,OttBlthy,
ThomasEdison,GalileoFerraris,OliverHeaviside,nyosJedlik,WilliamThomson,1stBaronKelvin,
CharlesAlgernonParsons,WernervonSiemens,JosephSwan,NikolaTeslaandGeorgeWestinghouse,
electricityturnedfromascientificcuriosityintoanessentialtoolformodernlife,becomingadrivingforce
oftheSecondIndustrialRevolution.[16]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity

3/19