Various Methods of Electricity Production Essay

Various Methods of Electricity Production - Essay Example Even though these early humans had no understanding of electricity, the movie depicts them looking for lightning to reignite their fire! It is clear in the film that the first fire available to mankind came from electricity in the form of lightning (Cook 7). It seems that electricity was the first real power used by man. Long before the lever, the wheel or the windmill mankind was reaping the benefits of fire created by the natural electricity of lightning. Man made electricity has earlier roots than one might suspect as well. Evidence has been uncovered that the ancient Egyptians used crude batteries to produce electrical charges (Mythbusters, 2005). The Egyptians fashioned clay pots as containers and filled them with high acid citrus juice. They then connected primitive cables made of copper to the clay jars. On the popular Discovery Channel series Mythbusters the cast recreates the Egyptian battery to test if this notion of early batteries is fact or myth. Much to their surprise the primitive invention does in fact produce a very small electrical charge. They speculate that Egyptians might have used this electricity to amaze and frighten pharos's subjects. By hooking the batteries up to statues of the pharos and other deities the ancient Egyptians gave their pharaoh a little help in the "powerful and mystical" department (Mythbusters, 2005). We will likely never know the whole story behind these ancient batteries but it is interesti ng to consider how early mankind was experimenting with electricity. Since ancient times many forms of electricity generation have been discovered and utilized. But first, in order to understand these various sources it is important to understand the history and development of electricity as a primary source of energy. The Rise of Electricity The ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese and the Persians all experimented with crude inventions to harness electricity with very limited success. Even the explosion of science during the Middle Ages in Europe added little to the understanding electricity (Dell & Rand,125). In 1214 Roger Bacon experimented with the properties of amber and lodestone but electricity was primarily used to "amuse and frighten the ignorant" (Canby,12). Like the Egyptians, European scientists of the Middle Ages viewed electricity as a "parlor trick" and it's usefulness was deemed limited (Dell & Rand, 125). It wasn't until 1600 when William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elisabeth, wrote an impressive paper on magnetism, that the scientist of Europe began to seriously consider scientific study of electricity (Canby,13). The De Magnete written by Gilbert was widely read by the educated class of Europe and interest in electricity surged. Gilbert also created the first list of elements that contain electric and magn etic properties (Wikipedia,2007). In 1660, Otto van Guericke built the first machine to produce an electrical charge (Canby, 18). The glass globe had a sulfur ball inside and created a lightning like charge that amazed the people of Guericke's day. During this time advances in the understanding of electricity was painfully slow and it wasn't until 1709 that the next big discovery was made. In England, Francis Hawkenbee built an improved version of the "glass globe" and conducted many other useful experiments. Next, in 1729 Steven Gray of the Grayfriars School in England discovered