The Story of Electricity

Book Excerpt: o a distance of severalhundred yards, and thus took an important step in the direction ofthe electric telegraph.It has since been found that FRICTIONAL ELECTRICITY APPEARS ONLYON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF CONDUCTORS.This is well shown by a device of Faraday resembling a smallbutterfly net insulated by a glass handle (fig. 5). If the net becharged it is found that the electrification is only outside, andif it be suddenly drawn outside in, as shown by the dotted line,the electrifi...