#Kite benjamin franklin full#

So, when Franklin touched the key and received an electrical shock, he knew he had proved his theory.ДЄt some point, we all learn the story of Benjamin FranklinвЂ™s kite experiment. When the lightning struck, it would travel down the string and charge the key. He knew that the kite could get close to storm clouds, and he knew that a metal key would attract the charge. So, he decided to try out a more impromptu version: a kite and a key.

#Kite benjamin franklin full#

It was a good idea, but his impatience got the best of him (which seems slightly weird to us, seeing as he was was patient enough to conduct experiments for a full decade, but, hey, what do we know). His first idea, then, was to wait for the steeple on top of the Church of Christ to be completed. So, what was he waiting for? Well, Franklin knew he could prove his theory if the lightning passed through metal. He suspected that lightning was electrical in nature, and he wanted to prove it. Why was it such a big year? Well, thatвЂ™s when Franklin first documented what he believed to be similarities between electricity and lightning: the color of the light, the crooked direction, the crackling noise, and other things.

ThatвЂ™s why we know that 1749 was a big year. And, thankfully, Franklin documented his work and ideas in letters to Peter Collinson, a friend and fellow scientist in London. Your kids probably have a hard enough time staying focused in one 45-minute class. Franklin, itвЂ™s also Fly a Kite Day! Д«enjamin Franklin first began conducting experiments with electricity in 1747 and continued to experiment for almost a decade. Hey, isnвЂ™t today June 15? Okay, fine, we knew that. Legend has it that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity on June 15, 1752.