Preview

Benjamin Franklin Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
816 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Benjamin Franklin Research Paper
Benjamin Franklin
This portrait, which depicts Franklin as a learned scientist and inventor, was one of his favorites. Pictured on the left is the signal-bell apparatus Franklin devised to detect the presence of electrically-charged clouds. The bolt of lightning , seen through the open window, became an attribute closely identified with Franklin. At Franklin's death French philosopher/scientist Jacques Turgot wrote: "He seized the lightning from the sky and the scepter from the hand of tyrants."

The Franklin Stove
Franklin wrote this description of the stove he had invented to promote sales of a model being manufactured by his friend Robert Grace. A series of partitioned iron plates permits a continuous supply of fresh warm air, separated
…show more content…
Franklin told Whately he found them particularly useful at dinner in France, where he could see the food he was eating and watch the facial expressions of those seated at the table with him, which helped interpret the words being said. He wrote: "I understand French better by the help of my Spectacles."

Experiments in Electricity
In 1751, Peter Collinson, President of the Royal Society, arranged for the publication of a series of letters from Benjamin Franklin, 1747 to 1750, describing his experiments on electricity. Franklin demonstrated his new theory of positive and negative charges, suggested the electrical nature of lightning, and proposed a tall, grounded rod as a protection against lightning. These experiments established Franklin's reputation as a scientist, and in 1753 he received the Copley Medal of the Royal Society for his contributions to the knowledge of lightning and electricity.

On
…show more content…
He based his hypothesis on other written accounts, and used this sketch of a tube of tin foil to aid in his explanation.

Mapping the Gulf Stream
Although Spanish explorers had described the Gulf Stream, Franklin, fascinated by the fact that the sea journey from North America to England was shorter than the return trip, asked his cousin, Nantucket sea captain Timothy Folger, to map its dimensions and course. Franklin published this map and his directions for avoiding it in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society in 1786. Systematic research, conducted by the U.S. Coast Survey, of the Gulf Stream did not occur until 1845.

Franklin Battles the Common Cold
Despite his eminence in scientific circles, Benjamin Franklin remained concerned with the more practical applications of scientific study. This sheet entitled "Definition of a Cold" is one of a series bearing Franklin's notes for a paper he intended to write on the subject. Exercise, bathing, and moderation in food and drink consumption were just some of his steps to avoid the common

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Rosemont, Henry. "Benjamin Franklin and the Philadelphia Typographical Strikers of 1786." Labor History, no. 22 (1981): 398-429.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Franklin had been wise enough to connect a ground wire to his key... two other scientists attempting to copy the experiment but neglecting the ground wire they were killed when they were actually struck by lightning. He was also self educated so think how scared he was.…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt (/ˈroʊzəvəlt/, his own pronunciation,[2] or /ˈroʊzəvɛlt/; January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), commonly known as FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. A Democrat, he won a record four presidential elections and dominated his party for many years as a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic depression and total war. His program for relief, recovery and reform, known as the New Deal, involved a great expansion of the role of the federal government in the economy. As a dominant leader of the Democratic Party, he built the New Deal Coalition that brought together…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Any one of Franklin's many accomplishments would have been enough to make him famous. He organized the first library in America. He invented many things, including the lightning rod. Franklin amazed scientists throughout the world with his experiments in electricity.…

    • 138 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Have you ever asked yourself, exactly what is DNA and why is it so important? DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid and is found in every living thing. We inherit DNA from our parents, half from our mothers and half from our fathers. DNA is made up of sugars, bases, and phosphates and comes in the structure of a double helix which looks like a spiral staircase (Craig Freudenrich, 2007). DNA is found in the genes which are housed in chromosomes. Humans have 46 chromosomes; however, the amount of chromosomes varies from specie to specie. Except in the case of identical twins, DNA is unique…

    • 3692 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The New Science” was published during the Scientific Revolution, a surge in scientific discoveries and methodology during the 17th and 18th centuries. The poster seems to encourage popular participation in science, although the products shown would only be available to the elites, since they were able to spend money on them. The spread of the image was made possible by Gutenberg's printing press, which was developed in the 15th century and also helped facilitate the spread of other pieces of scientific information during the Scientific Revolution. The printing press’s effect on literacy is evident in the image of the reading glass, which makes it easier for people to read, indicating the widespread popular literacy at the time. Yarwell’s knowledge about optics and his success in making instruments like microscopes and prisms may be due to the discoveries of scientific figures like Kepler and the more recent works of Isaac Newton. The man in the poster is shown using the telescope to look at the sky, which may reflect the recent discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo, who proved the heliocentric model of the universe. Additionally, it was common…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As a child, Benjamin Franklin was fascinated about lighting. Many years later, he had a theory. He believed that lightning could be a powerful source of energy. To test his theory, he flew his kite with a key attached to it hoping to harness the power of electricity. His theory was proven, and that is why electricity exists today.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    His most significant discoveries, however, were in the field of electricity. His famous kite experiment proved that lightning is an electrical phenomenon. In 1774 he invented a cast-iron open heater, which projected out from the chimney and radiated heat from the back and from the sides as well as the front (126).…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over the time between early presidential years; Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president who studied law. Benjamin was the grandson of one of the president name William Harrison who served as the 9th president. Benjamin wanted to accomplish many thing as a president he passed an act called the Sherman Antitrust Act which allowed people to pay how much as they wanted for goods (food or basic clothing).Also, in the paper i'm going to talking about the hull house, The election of 1888, Jane Addams (co founder of the hull house) and the Sherman Antitrust act.…

    • 1856 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt loved to explore and generally be adventurous. Roosevelt participated in a bear-hunting trip in 1902 although he didn’t want to kill the bears he just wanted to catch them. Roosevelt refused to kill a bear that the hunters caught so they gave him the name “Teddy”. This how Theodore received the name “Teddy” and that name is used in present time to identify a bear as a “Teddy Bear”. Theodore Roosevelt was a big part in American History although he faced troubles but that did not stop him from his dream which has impacted Americans after him.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In a famous example, “Letter to a Royal Academy,” Ben Franklin jokingly suggests that scientists…

    • 1566 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Response To Emerson

    • 1812 Words
    • 8 Pages

    An English navigator, Hudson (died circa 1611) explored the North American coast. The Hudson River is named after him.…

    • 1812 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    History

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages

    a. Franklin, believed that science could solve the problems of human life and that knowledge came from the senses, observation, and experimentation. Society, economy and human affairs Franklin believed that they should be applied to knowledge. School was defiantly a big part of Franklin he was very dedicated to his studying. Franklin made a proposal that was very important to exposed the stimulus on a new education republic. Franklin was a very educated man who became successful from being ambitious and having common sense.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are two different sides of Franklin that I have noticed from the past that we read. One kind of Franklin that is creative and funny. The other side that I have noticed is the serious and scientific kind of Franklin. I remember the funny side of Franklin in "Introducing Dogood" and the other scientific side is in " Franklin the scientist". These two sides of Franklin are very different because funny and playful doesn't really go with some one who is serious and wants to get the job done, in other words these two sides are like cats and…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Practicing Medicine is not an exact science today. In its infancy, Medicine was even more experimental. Doctors tried whatever they thought would work. If their attempts succeeded, the patient lived and if not the patient died. Joseph Black began his education at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Black moved to the University of Edinburgh and while attending school he began his experiments. He obtained his medical degree in 1754. After graduation, Black continued his experiments and kept a journal of all his experiments. “Experiments Upon Magnesia Alba, Quicklime, and some other Alkaline Substances,” was written by Joseph Black, MD. The journal detailed his experiments with Magnesia Alba. “The Life and Letters of Joseph Black: Chapter…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays