A glass rod when rubbed with a silk handkerchief becomes, as we
have seen, highly electric, and will attract a pithball (fig. 2).
Moreover, if we substitute the handkerchief for the rod it will
also attract the ball (fig. 3). Clearly, then, the handkerchief
which rubbed the rod as well as the rod itself is electrified. At
first we might suppose that the handkerchief had merely rubbed off
some of the electricity from the rod, but a little investigation
will soon show that is not the case. If we allow the pithball to
touch the glass rod it will steal some of the electricity on the
rod, and we shall now find the ball REPELLED by the rod, as
illustrated in figure 4. Then, if we withdraw the rod and bring
forward the handkerchief, we shall find the ball ATTRACTED by it.
Evidently, therefore, the electricity of the handkerchief is of a
different kind from that of the rod.
Again, if we allow the ball to touch the handkerchief and rub off
some of its electricity, the ball will be REPELLED by the
handkerchief and ATTRACTED by the rod. Thus we arrive at the
conclusion that whereas the glass rod is charged with one kind of
electricity, the handkerchief which rubbed it is charged with
another kind, and, judging by their contrary effects on the
charged ball or indicator, they are of opposite kinds. To
distinguish the two sorts, one is called POSITIVE and the other
NEGATIVE electricity.
Further experiments with other substances will show that sometimes
the rod is negative while the rubber is positive. Thus, if we rub
the glass rod with cat's fur instead of silk, we shall find the
glass negative and the fur positive. Again, if we rub a stick of
sealing-wax with the silk handkerchief, we shall find the wax
negative and the silk positive. But in every case one is the
opposite of the other, and moreover, an equal quantity of both
sorts of electricity is developed, one kind on the rod and the
other on the rubber. Hence we conclude that EQUAL AND OPPOSITE
QUANTITIES OF ELECTRICITY ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY DEVELOPED BY
FRICTION.
If any two of the following materials be rubbed together, that
higher in the list becomes positively and the other negatively
electrified:--
POSITIVE (+).
Cats' fur.
Polished glass.
Wool.
Cork, at ordinary temperature.
Coarse brown paper.
Cork, heated.
White silk.
Black silk.
Shellac.
Rough glass.
NEGATIVE (-).
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