The Complete Works in Philosophy, Politics, and Morals, of the Late Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Now First Collected and Arranged: With Memories of His Early LifeRead at the Royal Society, June 3, 1756. The particles of air are kept at a distance from each other by their mutual repulsion. Every three particles, mutually and equally repelling each other, must form an equilateral triangle. All the particles of air gravitate towards the earth, which gravitation compresses them, and shortens the sides of the triangles, otherwise their mutual repellency would force them to greater distances from each other. Whatever particles of other matter (not endued with that repellency) are supported in air, must adhere to the particles of air, and be supported by them; for in the vacancies there is nothing they can rest on. Air and water mutually attract each other. Hence water will dissolve in air, as salt in water. |
Contents
LIFE of Dr FRANKLIN | 2 |
Introductory Letter | 169 |
Further experiments confirming the preceding observations Ley | 187 |
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Abbé appear attracted bells body Boston bottle charged phial clouds coating cold fusion Collinson common matter conduct contained continued cork balls cork-ball cushion discharged distance draw earth effect elec electric atmosphere electric fluid electric matter electrical fire electrified electrised electrometer equal excited glass experiments father feet finger flash floor Florence flask force Franklin friends give glass globe glass tube governor greater hand heat hook iron jars Keimer Kinnersley letter Leyden lightning London magnetic manner melted ment metal motion natural quantity needle negative non-electric observed paper particles pass person PETER COLLINSON Philadelphia piece plate pointed rod positive pounds sterling power of points present prime conductor quantity of electricity receive remained repelled repulsion round rubbed shew shock side silk soon spark stroke suppose surface suspended thing threads tion tricity vapour wire