Observations on a series of electrical experiments / By Dr Hoadly, and Mr Wilson.

  • Benjamin Hoadly
Date:
1756
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on a series of electrical experiments / By Dr Hoadly, and Mr Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [8 ] the air clofes over the bar, and ferves to keep it electri¬ fied. Now the fame way of reafoning will fhow us the eafieft way of unele&rifying it again. For firft, I can take off the refiftance of the air by approaching any body more capable, than the air, of receiving the ele&rical fluid from the bar, nearer and nearer to it, even till it comes into contaft with it. Next I am to confider what fhape I ought to give this body. If I make it end with a fharp point, it will with the greateft eafe receive the fluid that endeavours to get out of the bar, as foon as the equilibrium begins to be deftroyed by thus removing the refiftance of the air from off that point of the bar, the point of the body is oppofed to : and if I ftand upon the ground, whilft I do this, I give a free paffage to any quantity of this fluid the bar may have to part with, into the earth. But laftly, I am to confider, that by thus making the difcharge of this fluid fo eafy, it will begin to be made very early in the approach of this pointed body, and the whole be done gradually, and without that violence our defign was to produce: becaufe as this pointed body approaches the bar, there lies fo fmall a quantity of air between the point and the bar, that it hardly re¬ fills at all. Confequently, we fhould try the experiment with fome body that ends bluntly and is well polifhed, and bring it at laft with fome degree of quicknefs within the fphere
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