It is hard to find someone who is not familiar with electricity. But finding someone who knows the history of his discovery is much more difficult. Who discovered the electricity? What is this phenomenon?
A little bit about electricity
The concept of "electricity" refers to the form of motion of matter, covers the phenomenon of the existence and interaction of charged particles. The term appeared in 1600 from the word "electron", which is translated from Greek as "amber". The author of this concept is William Gilbert - the man who discovered electricity to Europe.
This concept, first of all, is not an artificial invention, but a phenomenon associated with the property of certain bodies. Therefore, to the question: "Who discovered electricity?" - answer is not so easy. In nature, it manifests itself in the form of lightning, which is caused by various charges of the upper and lower layers of the planet’s atmosphere.
It is an important part of human and animal life, because the nervous system works thanks to electrical impulses. Some fish, such as stingrays and eels, generate electricity to defeat prey or the enemy. Many plants, such as the venus flytrap, mimosa bashful, are also capable of generating electrical discharges.
Who discovered the electricity?
There is an assumption that people studied electricity in ancient China and India. However, there is no confirmation of this. It is more reliable to assume that the ancient Greek scholar Thales discovered static electricity .
He was a famous mathematician and philosopher, lived in the city of Miletus, approximately in the VI-V centuries BC. It is believed that Thales discovered the ability of amber to attract small objects, such as a feather or hair, if rubbed with a woolen cloth. There was no practical application of such a phenomenon, and it was ignored.
In 1600, the Englishman William Gilbert published a work on magnetic bodies, which provides facts about the related nature of magnetism and electricity, as well as evidence that other minerals, such as opal, amethyst, diamond, sapphire, can also be electrified. The scientist christened the bodies capable of being electrified by electricians, and the property itself - by electricity. It was he who first suggested that lightning is connected with electricity.
Electrical experiments
After Gilbert, the German burgomaster Otto von Guericke undertook research in this area. Although he was not the first to discover electricity, he still managed to influence the course of scientific history. Otto became the author of an electrostatic machine that looked like a sulfur ball spinning on a metal rod. Thanks to this invention, it was possible to find out that electrified bodies can not only attract, but also repel. The studies of the burgomaster formed the basis of electrostatics.
This was followed by a series of studies, including using an electrostatic machine. In 1729, Stephen Gray changed Guericke’s device, replacing a sulfur ball with a glass one, and, continuing experiments, discovered the phenomenon of electrical conductivity. A little later, Charles Dufe discovers the presence of two types of charge - from glass and from resins.
In 1745, Peter van Mushenbrook and Jürgen von Kleist, believing that water accumulates a charge, create a "Leyden jar" - the world's first capacitor. Benjamin Franklin claims that the accumulator is not water, but glass. He also introduces the terms “plus” and “minus” for electric charges, “capacitor”, “charge” and “conductor”.
Great discoveries
At the end of the 18th century, electricity became a serious research subject. Now special attention is paid to the study of dynamic processes and the interaction of particles. An electric current enters the scene.
In 1791, Galvani speaks of the existence of physiological electricity, which is present in the muscles of animals. Following him, Alessandro Volta invents a galvanic cell - a voltaic pole. It was the first direct current source. Thus, Volta is a scientist who rediscovered electricity, because his invention served as the beginning for the practical and multifunctional use of electricity.
In 1802, the discovery of the voltaic arc by Vasily Petrov. Antoine Nollet creates an electroscope and explores the effect of electricity on living organisms. And already in 1809, the Physicist Delarue invented an incandescent lamp.
Next, the relationship of magnetism and electricity is studied. Om, Lenz, Gauss, Ampere, Joule, Faraday are working on the research. The latter creates the first energy generator and electric motor, opens the law of electrolysis and electromagnetic induction.
In the XX century, Maxwell (the theory of electromagnetic phenomena), Curie (discovered piezoelectricity), Thomson (discovered an electron) and many others are also involved in the study of electricity.
Conclusion
Of course, it is impossible to say with certainty who actually discovered electricity. This phenomenon exists in nature, and it is quite possible that they discovered it before Thales. However, many scientists, such as William Gilbert, Otto von Guericke, Volta and Galvani, Ohm, Ampere, have definitely contributed to our life today.