The Study of Elementary Electricity and Magnetism by Experiment: Containing Two Hundred Experiments Performed with Simple, Home-made ApparatusSt. John, Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew)
Science
The Study of Elementary Electricity and Magnetism by Experiment: Containing Two Hundred Experiments Performed with Simple, Home-made Apparatus
=301. Electromotive Series.= All metals are not acted upon to
the same degree by dilute acid. From the results of Exp. 116
it is seen, part (B), that iron is electronegative to zinc;
that is, the current in the cell flows from zinc to iron.
Part (D) showed that iron is electropositive to copper, as the
current flowed from iron to copper in the cell. It is possible
to arrange the metals in a series, one below the other, in such
a way that any one will be electronegative to those above it
and electropositive to those below it; that is, the list should
have the most electropositive metal at the top, and the one
least acted upon by the acid at the bottom. Make such a list
from your results. The farther the metals used are apart in
the _list_, the greater will be the E. M. F. of the cell. Good
carbon is acted upon the least of all, so zinc and carbon are
better than zinc and copper.
=EXPERIMENT 117. To see whether the electromotive force of a
cell depends upon its size.=
_Apparatus._ Galvanoscope; two glass tumblers; dilute acid; two
wooden cross-pieces; two copper and two zinc strips, the same
size as those used for Exp. 112. (See § 275). These materials
will form two simple cells like Fig. 85. Have about 3 in. of
acid in one tumbler, and but 1 in. in the other. The plates of
one cell will then be about 2-1/2 in. in acid, and those of the
other cell only 1/2 in. in acid. This gives us the same effect
as a large and a small cell.
=302. Directions.= (A) Join the large and small cells with G V
so that their currents will oppose each other. To do this, join
the two zinc plates by means of a wire and connectors. With two
other wires connect the two copper plates with the galvanoscope
binding-posts, and watch for any indication of current. Does
one cell oppose the other?
_=303. Discussion.=_ The E. M. F. of a cell, then, does not depend upon
the size of its plates. The small piece of zinc--that is, the one in
but little acid--had the same potential as the large piece; they must
have had, as they were joined. The large cell will give a stronger
current, under certain conditions, than the small one; but this
depends upon other things than E. M. F. (See experiments under Current
Strength.) A zinc-copper cell, like the one just used (Exp. 117), has
the same _voltage_ as one of the same kind would have, even though it
were made as large as a barrel.
CHAPTER XVIII.
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE.
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