Franklin knew
that science isn’t
just a collection of
facts. You can no
sooner understand
science by memorizing facts than
you can under-
stand music by memorizing a score.
You have to do science just like you
have to play music to really “get it.”
What better way is there to shape our
minds, expand our knowledge, and
enhance our understanding of physical
science than hands-on experimentation
fueled by curiosity?
Franklin’s insatiable curiosity, love
of science, and hands-on approach led
to numerous discoveries and inventions, especially in the area of electricity. The story of his kite-flying
experiment during a thunderstorm has
become part of American lore, and the
lightning rods that he invented are still
saving property and lives to this day.
However, despite the many advances
in, and widespread use of, electricity
since Franklin’s time, it is understood
surprisingly little.
What Is Electricity?
Electricity is such an integral part of
our daily lives that it would be difficult
to imagine society today without it.
Yet, we normally cannot see, taste,
smell, or touch it. So, what is it?
Generally speaking, electricity can
be described as “the flow of electrons in
a conductor.” Electrons are negatively
charged subatomic particles (extremely
small parts of an atom). They travel in
orbits around the protons and neutrons
of an atom’s nucleus, much like the
planets in our solar system travel in
orbits around the sun.
Conductors are materials (usually
metals) that permit electrons to flow
through them. Most metals don’t hang
on to their outermost electrons very
strongly. So when an electrical charge
is applied across a conductor, it
causes those loosely held electrons to
move from one atom to another to
another, thus creating a flow that we
commonly refer to as “electricity” or
“electric current.”
Experience tells us that electricity
doesn’t flow through everything. If it
did, we’d get a shock every time we
turned on a lamp or plugged in a
vacuum cleaner. Once again the Creator
has revealed His genius. He has
provided us with both conductors to
carry electricity and insulators to safely
separate us from it. Insulators, then, are
the opposite of conductors. They hold
on to their electrons so well that current
does not flow through them.
If you’ve ever been shocked after
walking across a carpet in socks and
then touching a doorknob, you’ve
experienced static electricity. As a
result of your feet rubbing across the
carpet, a negative charge built up on
your body. That charge had nowhere to
go (hence the term static) until it
encountered the metal doorknob and
discharged all at once.
You can perform a simple static
electricity experiment at home with a
balloon and a piece of paper. Begin by
rubbing the blown-up balloon vigorously against the hair on your head or
against a wool sweater; then hold the
spot that was rubbed up to a wall and
let go. The balloon will stick. The
rubbing pulled electrons from your
hair to the balloon. Since electrons
don’t flow in an insulator (such as the
latex balloon), they stay put, and the
The static electricity generated by rubbing a balloon vigorously against your hair will cause
the balloon to pick up small shreds of paper and also can cause the balloon to stick to a wall.
Discover Your
Science Lab Daily
This past spring, my family and I had a unique
opportunity: we watched a cardinal family
grow from two birds to four birds just outside
our dining room window. It was a blessing for
us to have front row seats for the entire
process. We watched as the parents built the
nest, hatched the eggs, and fed and nurtured
their young. Through observation backed up
with books and the Internet, we learned a great
deal about cardinals.
Observation of nature is not an
uncommon method of learning that children
and families enjoy. But what does that have
to do with electricity?
Well, we are as completely surrounded by
physical science in the modern world as we are
by life science. Wherever you are reading this
right now, whether at home, in the car, in a
downtown coffee shop, on the farm, or in a
park watching the kids play, you are in the
midst of, and perhaps in possession of, scientific and technological advances that would
have been considered nothing short of science
fiction just a few short years ago.
Since we’re used to observing nature to
study life science, why not venture out to study
physical science too? See that power plant?
How does it convert coal into electricity? What
is a Megawatt? See that LED billboard along
the highway? How do they make it so bright?
See that iPod® How are the songs and pictures
stored? See that automatic door open on the way
into the grocery store? Hear that music coming
from the loudspeaker? See that wireless mouse?
See the wrecking ball hanging from that
crane? What is it made of? How heavy is it?
How strong does the cable that holds it up have
to be? How far or fast does it have to swing to
break down a brick wall? See that airplane
flying overhead? What keeps it up? What
forces are acting on it? Smell that bread
baking? See that new bridge over the highway?
Feel how cold that ice cube is? You get the idea.
Not everyone is destined to be an engineer
or scientist, but it is important to be scientifically literate in our increasingly technology-driven world. Otherwise, how will we be able
to make informed choices about medical care
or cast educated votes on topics such as stem
cell research or whether our town needs an
upgrade to its water treatment plant?
The next time you’re thinking about going
on a nature walk, why not consider a physical
science walk? Ben Franklin’s scientific
curiosity often led him to study everyday
things that were simple to investigate yet
provided great insight. We can do the same.
