On the various forces of nature and their relations to each otherFaraday, Michael
Science
On the various forces of nature and their relations to each other
Faraday, Michael
Physics
see whether I can succeed in lighting gas by touching the jet with my
finger. [The Lecturer brought his finger near a jet from which gas was
issuing, when, after one or two attempts, the spark which came from his
finger to the jet set fire to the gas.] You now see how it is that
this power of electricity can be transferred from the matter in which
it is generated, and conducted along wires and other bodies, and thus
be made to serve new purposes utterly unattainable by the powers we
have spoken of on previous days; and you will not now be at a loss to
bring this power of electricity into comparison with those which we
have previously examined; and to-morrow we shall be able to go further
into the consideration of these transferable powers.
LECTURE VI.
THE CORRELATION OF THE PHYSICAL FORCES.
We have frequently seen, during the course of these lectures, that one
of those powers or forces of matter, of which I have written the names
on that board, has produced results which are due to the action of some
other force. Thus, you have seen the force of electricity acting in
other ways than in attracting: you have also seen it combine matters
together, or disunite them, by means of its action on the chemical
force; and in this case, therefore, you have an instance in which
these two powers are related. But we have other and deeper relations
than these; we have not merely to see how it is that one power affects
another--how the force of heat affects chemical affinity, and so
forth--but we must try and comprehend what relation they bear to each
other, and how these powers may be changed one into the other; and
it will to-day require all my care, and your care too, to make this
clear to your minds. I shall be obliged to confine myself to one or two
instances, because, to take in the whole extent of this mutual relation
and conversion of forces, would surpass the human intellect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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