The history of electricity was at first the history of the “amber effect,” that is, of the “attraction” for light objects displayed by rubbed amber. This effect was well known in antiquity and was coupled and confused with the attraction for iron by the loadstone. The earliest explanations of these phenomena were anthropomorphic, being followed, in classical antiquity, by teleological organismic explanations and also materialistic mechanistic explanations. In the 15th century the lack of a directive (north-south) property in amber was noticed. By the 16th century several substances exhibiting the amber effect were known. From this time onward, attempts were made to provide a theory for the amber effect independently of magnetic phenomena. Effluvium theories, so important in the later history of electricity, first began to develop in the 16th century. The present paper covers the period up to the work of Gilbert in 1600.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
May 01 1953
The Prenatal History of Electrical Science
Duane Roller;
Duane Roller
Hughes Research and Development Laboratories, Culver City, California
Search for other works by this author on:
Duane H. D. Roller
Duane H. D. Roller
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Search for other works by this author on:
Am. J. Phys. 21, 343–356 (1953)
Article history
Received:
September 17 1952
Citation
Duane Roller, Duane H. D. Roller; The Prenatal History of Electrical Science. Am. J. Phys. 1 May 1953; 21 (5): 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1933449
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Citing articles via
Related Content
Prenatal sound transmission and exceptional antennae
J Acoust Soc Am (August 2005)
Newborn human cries: Prenatal cocaine exposed and nonexposed
J Acoust Soc Am (May 1994)
Evidence of prenatal hormonal effects on the auditory system
J Acoust Soc Am (May 1998)
Otoacoustic emissions in sheep (Ovis aries): Sex differences and prenatal androgen effects
J Acoust Soc Am (May 2008)
Assessment of the prenatal impact of manganese on behavioral responses and level of acetylcholinesterase in laboratory animals
AIP Conference Proceedings (June 2022)