Synopses & Reviews
The average amateur probably regards static electricity with distrust, as an elusive thing, dry to read about, and the experiments which he tries never giving any perceptible result. He has possibly made or acquired some antiquated frictional machine which can never be coaxed to work, and having exhausted his patience upon it in vain, reverts to primary batteries, or gives up electricity altogether as beyond his capabilities. As a matter of fact, static electricity is a fascinating subject when studied experimentally; and if the amateur can be sure of obtaining big sparks, and get a few not too big shocks, at the very start, he will be happy, and soon find himself led on to continue his experiments, obtaining a great deal of instruciton and amusement.
Fortunately, there exists a static machine which can be relied upon to work under almost any conditions. It is the Wimshurst Influence Machine, the invention of a British engineer, the late Mr. James Wimshurst. The object of this book is primarily to explain the machine in a simple and practial manner so that an amateur can know how to make it work. Some easy experiments are given, and a few hints and examples which will guide him if he desires to make one of these machines. Other chapters explain briefly the use of some of the well known appliances used for static experiments, as this information will assist the reader to understand the action of the Wimshurst machine as well as enlarge his knowledge of the subject in general. The reader who desires a historical and advanced treatise is referred to Electrical Influence Machines by J. Gray B.Se.