![]() The improved kite and air-runner will be the agency through which these results will be accomplished. It is no idle prophecy to say that the twentieth century will witness wonderful achievements in measuring the potential of the lightning flash, in demonstrating the nature of the aurora, and in utilizing the electrical energy of the cloud. ![]() A hundred patient philosophers have carried on the work, improving methods and apparatus, until to-day we stand upon the threshold of a great electrical survey of the atmosphere. He made the beginning by identifying the lightning flash with the electricity developed by the frictional machine of that time. The kite and the electrometer betray the intention of the colonial scientist to explore the free air, and, reaching out from earth, study air electrification in situ. In the course of his long life he received other salutes, as when the French Academy rose at his entrance and he constructed and worked with other electrometers but for us that first experience will always possess a peculiar interest. Franklin doubtless appreciated the salute and regretted the accident. A fragile electrical instrument was shaken from a shelf and shattered. What changes and lines of investigation he would suggest are beyond conjecture.Ī hundred and fifty years ago a ragged colonial regiment drew up before the home of its philosopher-colonel and fired an ill-timed salute in his honor. Franklin would enjoy repeating his kite experiment to-day, using modern apparatus. But the world moves and in making kites, as well as in devising electrometers and apparatus for measuring the electricity of the air, great advances have been made. THE recent improvements in kites have suggested perhaps to many the question, “How would Franklin perform his kite experiment to-day?” It may seem a little presumptuous to speak for that unique philosopher, and attempt to outline the modifications he would introduce were he to walk on earth again and fly kites as of yore for, with the exception of Jefferson, perhaps his was the most far-seeing and ingenious mind of a remarkable age. Benjamin Franklin was successful in his experiment and was able to prove that lightning and electricity did indeed have a connection.Please respect the colorization artist’s wishes and do not copy this image for ONLINE use anywhere else.įor offline use, click Terms of Use tab on top menu. Franklin felt a spark on the metal key when he touch it, meaning that it had a metal charge. After the kite flew for a while, Franklin noticed that the loose threads from the rope were standing up, meaning that it was full of electricity. In this experiment, Benjamin and Franklin and his son tied a leyden jar and metal key to the rope of the kite so the electricity could be collected. Benjamin Franklin wanted to prove that lightning and electricity were both connected. Franklin did not tell Pennsylvania Gazette, a popular newspaper source, about his experiment until October 19, 1752, where he anonymously stated what his experiment proved. The idea of electricity fascinated him so he conducted the kite experiment in June 1752 in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin's Kite Experiment Description: Benjamin Franklin was an Enlightenment thinker and a scientist.
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