ABSTRACT
Electricity is learnt, like all abstract concepts, through a gradual accumulation of experience and knowledge. Students of electricity also have to overcome persistent misconceptions – electricity seems to have more than most. The needle is made from un-magnetised metal. When rubbed amber is brought towards the versorium, the needle will turn until it points towards the amber. Even though Guericke's sulphur sphere was unreliable to use and expensive to make, electrical philosophers across Europe rushed to build their own. Guericke noticed that the sphere first attracted chaff, but once the chaff touched the sphere, it would then be repelled. Anyone who has had the opportunity to charge children to thousands of volts will appreciate the skill and showmanship of the 'dangling boy' demonstration. Benjamin Franklin explained the properties of the Leyden jar with his single type of electricity. To give the jar a positive charge, positive electricity travels down the chain into the water.
