Ben Franklin: On Science

Special to FreeRepublis ^ | 12 December 2009 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

“It is necessary to guard ourselves from thinking that the practice of the scientific method enlarges the powers of the human mind. Nothing is more flatly contradicted by experience than the belief that a man distinguished in one or even more departments of science, is more likely to think sensibly about ordinary affairs than anyone else.” Wilfred Trotter, Noted Social Psychologist

I would think that that quote would apply not only to science but doubly to "objective" journalism.

[hellbender]

The first thing to break down would not be the silk, but the airI'm not so sure about that. What is the conductivity of air vs. silk? Also, in conditions which are getting favorable for lightning, the charge often appears already around things which may be not very conductive, but reach higher than other objects (St. Elmo's fire). I think Franklin's idea that silk was safe was based on experiments in parlors. He really didn't know that he was dealing with millions of volts in a thunderstorm.

[Bobalu]

Yup, according to definition a cap is not a battery...I was mistaken.

It is becoming a bit confused though since the new multi-farad caps are increasingly being used to replace batteries.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I mean the air breakdown (this is not a resistivity issue but an ionization issue) would moot the silk breakdown. Ben didn’t know how quantitatively large the electrical potential of charged clouds could be, true. But the most detailed accounts I’ve seen depict Ben as having flown the kite “near” a thundercloud, not directly beneath it or into it. He tickled the tiger from what he thought was a safe distance. Today we know that lightning can jump 10 miles or more from the edge of a cloud.

[HiTech RedNeck]

When journalism leaped from satisfaction of curiosity to being part of the story, it suffered a leap of corruption too.

[hellbender]

I think you're right about the silk, unless it got wet. If lightning started to flow down the silk, it would probably be instantly carbonized and turned to powder, anyway. Air is a good insulator, but lightning turns it to plasma.

I've heard that people have been lethally struck while the sky overhead was blue. You should assume lightning is possible anywhere you can hear thunder.

[gnickgnack2]

He ALWAYS is!!!!!!!