Items related to The Complete Works. Of. Benjamin Franklin

The Complete Works. Of. Benjamin Franklin - Softcover

Benjamin Franklin

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9780461857504: The Complete Works. Of. Benjamin Franklin

Synopsis

The Complete Works. Of. Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin. This collection centers on Franklin’s electrical writings and experiments, with a strong emphasis on protecting buildings from lightning through metallic conductors and long pointed rods, and on communicating these ideas across Europe and America. It details experimental reports (Experiments 1–VI) comparing pointed and blunt conductors, shows how electricity collects on a prime conductor, and argues that longer, sharper points draw off charge more effectively. Practical guidance covers rod length and placement atop roofs, tip sharpness and gilding to prevent rust, deep grounding in moist earth, and the use of multiple rods on large structures. The material also records safety observations during storms and the cross-Atlantic debate surrounding efficacy, including discussions of the St. Bride’s Steeple and Abbé Nollet. The excerpt features Franklin’s correspondences with European scientists, and an editor’s apparatus including eyewitness demonstrations in France and Paris, with ancillary material on Leyden jars, amber, and atmospheric electricity. Together these documents trace an 18th?century transatlantic program of experimental philosophy, public safety engineering, and international scientific dialogue.

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