What is Benjamin Franklin’s Biggest

Contribution?By EZ Njoku & Isaac Awosika

Benjamin franklin was born January 17, 1706 He was born in a family of ten was the

eighth child of Josiah and Abiah Franklin. He grew up and had many professions. He

was an author and editor, a scientist, an ambassador, an inventor, a politician and an elder salesman.

Background of Ben Franklin

Franklin performed a test to prove that lightning and electricity are the same. He tied a kite to a silk string and attached a key to the end.

Next, he tied a thin metal wire to the key and attached the other end of the Leyden jar. He also tied a silk ribbon so that he could hold it without getting shocked

He hid under a barn and flew the kite into the sky as it was storming . When a thunder cloud passed the kite, negative charges entered from the kite to the key and then to the Leyden Jar.

Franklin didn’t receive a static shock because he was holding the dry silk ribbon, but when he moved his free hand to the key, he felt a shock. Therefore he proved his hypothesis.

Experiment With Kite

As an inventor, he made many inventions, electric-based or not. He only made a few inventions that are electric-based. He made or used the following:

Battery (Leyden jars) Lightning rod

Ben Franklin’s Inventions Of Electricity

Ben Franklin did not invent the Leyden jar but he used one before with his kite experiment.

Franklin was the one to make a “battery” (using the military term for weapons working together).

By combining the number of jars, a stronger charge could be stored, and more power would be available.

“Electrical Battery” of Leyden Jars

The lightning rod was one of the most credited electric-based invention of his time.

It was designed to be on top of buildings and houses. If lightning had stroked down on these buildings, the rod would attract it

From there, the lightning would travel from the rod to the ground.

This invention kept people safe as well as buildings and other structures.

Lightning Rod

Franklin had made terms involving electricity during his studies on it. He made about forty terms. Some of the words are the following:

Battery-a group of electric cells for providing electric current; a single electric cell

Condenser-a device providing capacitance; see capacitance

Conductor-any material that allows electricity to pass through

Charge-an excess or deficiency of electrons in an atom Discharge-to remove the electrical energy from

something

Terms (words) About Electricity

Franklin’s experiments and inventions benefits us today because without his experiments there could not have being a foundation for other inventors that helped people to use electricity in our everyday lives.

Without electricity there would never be phones, laptops, tablets, TVs and other electronic devices.

Our current lives would be similar to the lives of people in the 18th century

Franklin discover and inventions on electricity has helped us to evolve into the society of today

Effect on the American Society

Primary SourcesFranklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. 1790Sparks, Jared. Life of Benjamin Franklin: A Continuation of Franklin’s Autobiography. 1840Secondary Sources“Benjamin Franklin’s Inventions, Discoveries, and Improvements” 4 July 1995. November 2013 <http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/inventions.htm>“Electrified Ben” creation date unidentified. November 2013 <http://www.fi.edu/franklin/scientist/electric.html>“Benjamin Franklin and Electricity” creation date unidentified. November 2013 http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/franklinb/aa_franklinb_electric_1.html“Ben’s Big Idea” 2013. November 2013 http://www.codecheck.com/cc/BenAndTheKite.html“Benjamin Franklin. Biography” creation date unidentified. December 2013 http://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-franklin-9301234“ ‘Electrical battery’ of Leyden jars, 1760-1769” 2008. <http://www.benfranklin300.org/frankliniana/result.php?id=72&sec=0>

Bibliography