Kathy Joseph's Blog, page 6

How a Leyden Jar Works

Wait? How did a jar of water shock anyone?  And why?  Well, I’ll tell you and along the way, I will talk about: shocking people for the king’s pleasure, breaking the rules, and masochistic adrenalin junkies with some really difficult names to pronounce. 

Table of ContentsThe Electrifying ExperimentHow the Leyden Jar WorksAndreas Cunaeus Jean-Antoine NolletHow Popular was Leyden JarThe Electrifying Experiment

This story began on October 11, 1745.  O...

The True Father of Electricity: Stephen Gray

On May 1, 1729 a retired clothing dyer noticed a single feather moving in a strange way which changed the course of history. How did a single feather change the course of history?  Well, I’ll tell you and along the way, I will talk about class prejudice, the true father of electricity, electrifying hot pokers, live chickens, and “flying” children! 

Table of ContentsThe First Real Study of Electricity: Stephen GrayThe Discovery of Electric CommunicationThe Discovery ...

How Static Electricity Works

How did gold lead to the first rules of electricity? And, why is it ½ correct? What is correct and what was incorrect?  Well, I’ll tell you and along the way, I’ll talk about how static electricity works, why it doesn’t work on humid days, and why it often flows away and confuses us. 

Table of ContentsGray’s ArticleDu Fay’s DiscoveryExperimenting with Gold Why Electrical Experiments only work on Dry DaysWhy Du Fay was only 1/2 CorrectGray’s Article...

Nikola Tesla Facts and Fiction

What have you heard about Tesla? That he invented Alternating Current (AC)? That he and Edison fought the “War of the Currents” over AC vs. DC? That Edison hounded him? That he wanted to give everyone free electricity? That he was a Physics genius? That’s what I heard on YouTube and on websites and even on television shows! But I researched it by reading primary materials and, ready to have your mind blown, these are all wrong. All of them.

What are the “facts” commonly told about Tesla?

...

George Westinghouse: The Unsung Hero of Electricity

Table of Contents:The Truth about Tesla’s Contract with Westinghouse How Westinghouse Became an Industrialist George Westinghouse Transitions from Gas to Light Westinghouse and the Transformer Westinghouse and the AC Transmission George Westinghouse and Thomas EdisonThe Truth about Tesla’s Contract with Westinghouse

This video is my attempt to correct what I think is an injustice.

The erasure and villainization of a man named George Westinghouse Jr. who I think w...

Protected: George Westinghouse: The Unsung Hero of Electricity

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Maxwell’s Equations Explained: Supplement to the History of Maxwell’s Equation

Introduction

In this video I am going to explain the dot product, the cross product, the divergence, the curl and how it all works for Maxwell’s equations AND what Maxwell’s equations mean about magnets and light and a tiny bit about why that is important. But before I do that, I want to take a moment to say why I am making this video.

See, as many of you know, I am a science historian who makes videos and writes books where I use the personal stories of the scientists to teach the science...

How Heinrich Hertz Discovered Radio Waves to Validate Maxwell’s Equation

How was the first radio wave discovered and why?  Well, it all had to do with a pessimistic young German scientist named Heinrich Hertz and a contest that he was too intimidated to try.This is one of the most influential experiments of all time. 

Table of ContentsHermann von HelmholtzHertz’s Early Life How Hert’z Discovered The Photoelectric Effect Hertz’s LegacyReferencesHermann von Helmholtz Hermann von Helmholtz
Practical Physics published 1914...

History of the Telegraph: How Samuel Morse Stole It & Became Famous

A scientist named Joseph Henry and a machinist/inventor named Alfred Vail invented the telegraph that transformed the world.  Samuel Morse put their ideas together and gained the fame and the profit. 

Morse didn’t do it for money, however.  His inspirations were a strange brew of ego, tragedy and xenophobia.  How could ego, tragedy and xenophobia lead to Samuel Morse gaining all the fame for this transformative invention?  Well, I’ll tell you in this short video.

Table of Co...

Niel Bohr’s Nuclear Model: The Nuclear Model That Changed Physics

Niels Bohr said that before 1913 no one expected that the lines of color you get from burning hydrogen would tell you anything about physics even though the colors follow a pattern. Just like butterflies have patterns with the colors on their wings, “but nobody thought that one could get the basis of biology from the coloring [on the] wings of a butterfly.[1]”

However, in February of 1913, 27-year-old Niels Bohrread a book about the spectral lines of hydrogen and everything clicked.  Within ...