Electricity for Boys

Produced by Joe Longo and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net




WARNING: This book of one hundred years ago describes
experiments which are too dangerous to attempt by either
adults or children. It is published for historical
interest only.




THE "HOW-TO-DO-IT" BOOKS

ELECTRICITY FOR BOYS

[Illustration: Fig. 1. WORK BENCH]




THE "HOW-TO-DO-IT" BOOKS

ELECTRICITY FOR BOYS

A working guide, in the successive
steps of electricity, described in
simple terms

WITH MANY ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS

By J. S. ZERBE, M.E.

AUTHOR OF
CARPENTRY FOR BOYS
PRACTICAL MECHANICS FOR BOYS

[Illustration: Printer's Mark]

THE NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY
NEW YORK




COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY
THE NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY




CONTENTS


INTRODUCTORY                                                      Page 1

I. ELECTRICITY CONSIDERED. BRIEF HISTORICAL
EVENTS                                                            Page 5

 The Study of Electricity. First Historical Accounts. Bottling
 Electricity. Discovery of Galvanic Electricity. Electro-motive Force.
 Measuring Instruments. Rapidity of Modern Progress. How to Acquire the
 Vast Knowledge. The Means Employed.

II. WHAT TOOLS AND APPARATUS ARE NEEDED                          Page 11

 Preparing the Workshop. Uses of Our Workshop. What to Build. What to
 Learn. Uses of the Electrical Devices. Tools. Magnet-winding Reel.

III. MAGNETS, COILS, ARMATURES, ETC.                             Page 18

 The Two Kinds of Magnets. Permanent Magnets. Electro-Magnets.
 Magnetism. Materials for Magnets. Non-magnetic Material. Action of a
 _Second_ Magnet. What North and South Pole Mean. Repulsion and
 Attraction. Positives and Negatives. Magnetic Lines of Force. The
 Earth as a Magnet. Why the Compass Points North and South. Peculiarity
 of a Magnet. Action of the Electro-Magnet. Exterior Magnetic Influence
 Around a Wires Carrying a Current. Parallel Wires.

IV. FRICTIONAL, VOLTAIC OR GALVANIC AND ELECTRO-MAGNETIC
ELECTRICITY                                                      Page 29

 Three Electrical Sources. Frictional Electricity. Leyden Jar. Voltaic
 or Galvanic Electricity. Voltaic Pile; How Made. Plus and Minus
 Signs. The Common Primary Cell. Battery Resistance. Electrolyte and
 Current. Electro-magnetic Electricity. Magnetic Radiation. Different
 Kinds of Dynamos. Direct Current Dynamos. Simple Magnet Construction.
 How to Wind. The Dynamo Fields. The Armature. Armature Windings.
 Mounting the Armature. The Commutator. Commutator Brushes. Dynamo
 Windings. The Field. Series-wound Field. Shunt-wound. Compound-wound.

V. HOW TO DETECT AND MEASURE ELECTRICITY                         Page 49

 Measuring Instruments. The Detector. Direction of Current. Simple
 Current Detector. How to Place the Detector. Different Ways to Measure
 a Current. The Sulphuric Acid Voltameter. The Copper Voltameter. The
 Galvanoscope Electro-magnetic Method. The Calorimeter. The Light
 Method. The Preferred Method. How to Make a Sulphuric Acid Voltameter.
 How to Make a Copper Voltameter. Objections to the Calorimeter.

VI. VOLTS, AMPERES, OHMS AND WATTS                               Page 60

Understanding Terms. Intensity and Quantity. Voltage.
Amperage Meaning of Watts and Kilowatt. A
Standard of Measurement. The Ampere Standard. The
Voltage Standard. The Ohm. Calculating the Voltage.

VII. PUSH BUTTONS, SWITCHES, ANNUNCIATORS, BELLS AND
LIKE APPARATUS                                                   Page 65

 Simple Switches. A Two-Pole Switch. Double-Pole Switch. Sliding
 Switch. Reversing Switch. Push Buttons. Electric Bells. How Made. How
 Operated. Annunciators. Burglar Alarm. Wire Circuiting. Circuiting
 System with Two Bells and Push Buttons. The Push Buttons, Annunciators
 and Bells. Wiring Up a House.

VIII. ACCUMULATORS, STORAGE OR SECONDARY BATTERIES               Page 82

 Storing Up Electricity. The Accumulator. Accumulator Plates. The Grid.
 The Negative Pole. Connecting Up the Plates. Charging the Cells. The
 Initial Charge. The Charging Current.

IX. THE TELEGRAPH                                                Page 90

 Mechanism in Telegraph Circuit. The Sending Key. The Sounder.
 Connecting Up the Key and Sounder. Two Stations in Circuit. The Double
 Click. Illustrating the Dot and the Dash. The Morse Telegraph Code.
 Example in Use.

X. HIGH-TENSION APPARATUS, CONDENSERS, ETC.                      Page 98

 Induction. Low and High Tension. Elastic Property of Electricity. The
 Condenser. Connecting up a Condenser. The Interrupter. Uses of
 High-tension Coils.

XI. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY                                         Page 104

 Telegraphing Without Wires. Surging Character of High-tension
 Currents. The Coherer. How Made. The Decoherer. The Sending Apparatus.
 The Receiving Apparatus. How the Circuits are Formed.

XII. THE TELEPHONE                                              Page 110

 Vibrations.