Benjamin Franklin is well known to most of us, yet his fundamental
and wide--ranging contributions to science are still not adequately
understood. Until now he has usually been incorrectly regarded as a
practical inventor and tinkerer rather than a scientific thinker.
He was elected to membership in the elite Royal Society because his
experiments and original theory of electricity had made a science
of that new subject. His popular lame came from his two lightning
experiments the sentry--box experiment and the later and more
famous experiment of the kite--which confirmed his theoretical
speculations about the identity of electricity and provided a basis
for the practical invention of the lightning rod. Franklin advanced
the eighteenth-century understanding of all phenomena of
electricity and provided a model for experimental science in
general.
I. Bernard Cohen, an eminent historian of science and the
principal elucidator of Franklin's scientific work, examines his
activities in fields ranging from heat to astronomy. He provides
masterful accounts of the theoretical background of Franklin's
science (especially his study of Newton), the experiments he
performed, and their influence throughout Europe as well as the
United States. Cohen emphasizes that Franklin's political and
diplomatic career cannot be understood apart from his scientific
activities, which established his reputation and brought him into
contact with leaders of British and European society. A supplement
by Samuel J. Edgerton considers Franklin's attempts to improve the
design of heating stoves, another practical application that arose
from theoretical interests.
This volume will be valuable to all readerswanting to learn
more about Franklin and to gain a deeper appreciation of the
development of science in America.
General
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