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The word
electric
comes from the Latin term
electrum
. It
means “amber.” What does amber—fossilized tree
resin
—
have to do with charged particles? More than you might
think.
About 2,600 years ago a Greek thinker named Thales made
a surprising discovery. When he rubbed amber against a
piece of cloth, bits of straw stuck to the amber.
Was it magic? No way! Thales didn’t know it, but he was
seeing static electricity in action.
Around 1600, British scientistWilliamGilbert experimented
with amber and other “electrics”—materials that easily build
up a charge. Thanks to his work, German scientist Otto von
Guerike invented a machine that could produce static
electricity. By the late 1600s, people called electricians were
using these friction machines to perform some amazing tricks.
What kind of tricks? Turn the page to find out.
It’s Static,
Not Magic
