a history of science-2-第47节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


as　discharged　its　electricity　by　touching　something。　〃On　making　the　experiment　related　by　Otto　von　Guericke；〃　he　says；　〃which　consists　in　making　a　ball　of　sulphur　rendered　electrical　to　repel　a　down　feather；　I　perceived　that　the　same　effects　were　produced　not　only　by　the　tube；　but　by　all　electric　bodies　whatsoever；　and　I　discovered　that　which　accounts　for　a　great　part　of　the　irregularities　and；　if　I　may　use　the　term；　of　the　caprices　that　seem　to　accompany　most　of　the　experiments　on　electricity。　This　principle　is　that　electric　bodies　attract　all　that　are　not　so；　and　repel　them　as　soon　as　they　are　become　electric　by　the　vicinity　or　contact　of　the　electric　body。　Thus　gold…leaf　is　first　attracted　by　the　tube；　and　acquires　an　electricity　by　approaching　it；　and　of　consequence　is　immediately　repelled　by　it。　Nor　is　it　reattracted　while　it　retains　its　electric　quality。　But　if　while　it　is　thus　sustained　in　the　air　it　chance　to　light　on　some　other　body；　it　straightway　loses　its　electricity；　and　in　consequence　is　reattracted　by　the　tube；　which；　after　having　given　it　a　new　electricity；　repels　it　a　second　time；　which　continues　as　long　as　the　tube　keeps　its　electricity。　Upon　applying　this　principle　to　the　various　experiments　of　electricity；　one　will　be　surprised　at　the　number　of　obscure　and　puzzling　facts　that　it　clears　up。　For　Mr。　Hauksbee's　famous　experiment　of　the　glass　globe；　in　which　silk　threads　are　put；　is　a　necessary　consequence　of　it。　When　these　threads　are　arranged　in　the　form　of　rays　by　the　electricity　of　the　sides　of　the　globe；　if　the　finger　be　put　near　the　outside　of　the　globe　the　silk　threads　within　fly　from　it；　as　is　well　known；　which　happens　only　because　the　finger　or　any　other　body　applied　near　the　glass　globe　is　thereby　rendered　electrical；　and　consequently　repels　the　silk　threads　which　are　endowed　with　the　same　quality。　With　a　little　reflection　we　may　in　the　same　manner　account　for　most　of　the　other　phenomena；　and　which　seem　inexplicable　without　attending　to　this　principle。　〃Chance　has　thrown　in　my　way　another　principle；　more　universal　and　remarkable　than　the　preceding　one；　and　which　throws　a　new　light　on　the　subject　of　electricity。　This　principle　is　that　there　are　two　distinct　electricities；　very　different　from　each　other；　one　of　which　I　call　vitreous　electricity　and　the　other　resinous　electricity。　The　first　is　that　of　glass；　rock…crystal；　precious　stones；　hair　of　animals；　wool；　and　many　other　bodies。　The　second　is　that　of　amber；　copal；　gumsack；　silk　thread；　paper；　and　a　number　of　other　substances。　The　characteristic　of　these　two　electricities　is　that　a　body　of　the　vitreous　electricity；　for　example；　repels　all　such　as　are　of　the　same　electricity；　and　on　the　contrary　attracts　all　those　of　the　resinous　electricity；　so　that　the　tube；　made　electrical；　will　repel　glass；　crystal；　hair　of　animals；　etc。；　when　rendered　electric；　and　will　attract　silk　thread；　paper；　etc。；　though　rendered　electrical　likewise。　Amber；　on　the　contrary；　will　attract　electric　glass　and　other　substances　of　the　same　class；　and　will　repel　gum…sack；　copal；　silk　thread；　etc。　Two　silk　ribbons　rendered　electrical　will　repel　each　other；　two　woollen　threads　will　do　the　like；　but　a　woollen　thread　and　a　silken　thread　will　mutually　attract　each　other。　This　principle　very　naturally　explains　why　the　ends　of　threads　of　silk　or　wool　recede　from　each　other；　in　the　form　of　pencil　or　broom；　when　they　have　acquired　an　electric　quality。　From　this　principle　one　may　with　the　same　ease　deduce　the　explanation　of　a　great　number　of　other　phenomena；　and　it　is　probable　that　this　truth　will　lead　us　to　the　further　discovery　of　many　other　things。　〃In　order　to　know　immediately　to　which　of　the　two　classes　of　electrics　belongs　any　body　whatsoever；　one　need　only　render　electric　a　silk　thread；　which　is　known　to　be　of　the　resinuous　electricity；　and　see　whether　that　body；　rendered　electrical；　attracts　or　repels　it。　If　it　attracts　it；　it　is　certainly　of　the　kind　of　electricity　which　I　call　VITREOUS；　if；　on　the　contrary；　it　repels　it；　it　is　of　the　same　kind　of　electricity　with　the　silkthat　is；　of　the　RESINOUS。　I　have　likewise　observed　that　communicated　electricity　retains　the　same　properties；　for　if　a　ball　of　ivory　or　wood　be　set　on　a　glass　stand；　and　this　ball　be　rendered　electric　by　the　tube；　it　will　repel　such　substances　as　the　tube　repels；　but　if　it　be　rendered　electric　by　applying　a　cylinder　of　gum…sack　near　it；　it　will　produce　quite　contrary　effectsnamely；　precisely　the　same　as　gum…sack　would　produce。　In　order　to　succeed　in　these　experiments；　it　is　requisite　that　the　two　bodies　which　are　put　near　each　other；　to　find　out　the　nature　of　their　electricity；　be　rendered　as　electrical　as　possible；　for　if　one　of　them　was　not　at　all　or　but　weakly　electrical；　it　would　be　attracted　by　the　other；　though　it　be　of　that　sort　that　should　naturally　be　repelled　by　it。　But　the　experiment　will　always　succeed　perfectly　well　if　both　bodies　are　sufficiently　electrical。〃＇1＇　As　we　now　know；　Dufay　was　wrong　in　supposing　that　there　were　two　different　kinds　of　electricity；　vitreous　and　resinous。　A　little　later　the　matter　was　explained　by　calling　one　〃positive〃　electricity　and　the　other　〃negative；〃　and　it　was　believed　that　certain　substances　produced　only　the　one　kind　peculiar　to　that　particular　substance。　We　shall　see　presently；　however；　that　some　twenty　years　later　an　English　scientist　dispelled　this　illusion　by　producing　both　positive　（or　vitreous）　and　negative　（or　resinous）　electricity　on　the　same　tube　of　glass　at　the　same　time。　After　the　death　of　Dufay　his　work　was　continued　by　his　fellow…countryman　Dr。　Joseph　Desaguliers；　who　was　the　first　experimenter　to　electrify　running　water；　and　who　was　probably　the　first　to　suggest　that　clouds　might　be　electrified　bodies。　But　about；　this　timethat　is；　just　before　the　middle　of　the　eighteenth　centurythe　field　of　greatest　experimental　activity　was　transferred　to　Germany；　although　both　England　and　France　were　still　active。　The　two　German　philosophers　who　accomplished　most　at　this　time　were　Christian　August　Hansen　and　George　Matthias　Bose；　both　professors　in　Leipsic。　Both　seem　to　have　conceived　the　idea；　simultaneously　and　independently；　of　generating　electricity　by　revolving　globes　run　by　belt　and　wheel　in　much　the　same　manner　as　the　apparatus　of　Hauksbee。　With　such　machines　it　was　possible　to　generate　a　much　greater　amount　of　electricity　than　Dufay　had　been　able　to　do　with　the　rubbed　tube；　and　so　equipped；　the　two　German　professors　were　able　to　generate　electric　sparks　and　jets　of　fire　in　a　most　startling　manner。　Bose　in　particular　had　a　love　for　the　spectacular；　which　he　turned　to　account　with　his　new　electrical　machine　upon　many　occasions。　On　one　of　these　occasions　he　prepared　an　elaborate　dinner；　to　which　a　large　number　of　distinguished　guests　were　invited。　Before　the　arrival　of　the　company；　however；　Bose　insulated　the　great　banquet…table　on　cakes　of　pitch；　and　then　connected　it　with　a　huge　electrical　machine　concealed　in　another　room。　All　being　ready；　and　the　guests　in　their　places　about　to　be　seated；　Bose　gave　a　secret　signal　for　starting　this　machine；　when；　to　the　astonishment　of　the　party；　flames　of　fire　shot　from　flowers；　dishes；　and　viands；　giving　a　most　startling　but　beautiful　display。　To　add　still　further　to　the　astonishment　of　his　guests；　Bose　then　presented　a　beautiful　young　lady；　to　whom　each　of　the　young　men　of　the　party　was　introduced。　In　some　mysterious　manner　she　was　insulated　and　connected　with　the　concealed　electrical　machine；　so　that　as　each　gallant　touched　her　fingertips　he　received　an　electric　shock　that　〃made　him　reel。〃　Not　content　with　this；　the　host　invited　the　young　men　to　kiss　the　beautiful　maid。　But　those　who　were　bold　enough　to　attempt　it　received　an　electric　shock　that　nearly　〃knocked　their　teeth　out；〃　as　the　professor　tells　it。

LUDOLFF'S　EXPERIMENT　WITH　THE　ELECTRIC　SPARK　But　Bose　was　only　one　of　several　German　scientists　who　were　making　elaborate　experiments。　While　Bose　was　constructing　and　experimenting　with　his　huge　machine；　another　German；　Christian　Friedrich　Ludolff；　demonstrated　that　electric　sparks　are　actual　firea　fact　long　suspected　but　hitherto　unproved。　Ludolff's　discovery；　as　it　chanced；　was　made　in　the　lecture…hall　of　the　reorganized　Academy　of　Sciences　at　Berlin；　before　an　audience　of　scientists　and　great　personages；　at　the　opening　lecture　in　1744。　In　the　course　of　this　lecture　on　electricity；　during　which　some　of　the　well…known　manifestations　of　electricity　were　being　shown；　it　occurred　to　Ludolff　to　attempt　to　ignite　some　inflammable　fluid　by　projecting　an　electric　spark　upon　its　surface　with　a　glass　rod。　This　idea　was　suggested　to　him　while　performing　the　familiar　experiment　of　producing　a　spark　on　the　surface　of　a　bowl　of　water　by　touching　it　with　a　charged　glass　rod。　He　announced　to　his　audience　the　experiment　he　was　about　to　attempt；　and　having　warmed　a　spoonful　of　sulphuric　ether；　he　touched　its　surface　with　the　glass　rod；　causing　it　to　burst　into　flame。　This　experiment　left　no　room　for　doubt　that　the　electric　spark　was　actual　fire。　As　soon　as　this　experiment　of　Ludolff's　was　made　known　to　Bose；　he　immediately　claimed　that　he　had　previously　made　similar　demonstrations　on　various　inflammable　substances；　both　liquid　and　solid；　and　it