THE ANIMAL A MACHINE 



191 



portion of the wire would thereby become charged, at the 

 expense of the initially charged end. The portion of the 

 wire near the end, which has thus become charged, would act 



Fig. 75. Diagram Illustrating the Mode of Origin and Propagation 

 of an Electrical Charge on a Wire Surrounded by Acid 



This diagram illustrates how a wandering electrical charge on a wire 

 can arise. Imagine an electrical battery, one plate of which is drawn out 

 to a long thin wire. The upper end of the wire is charged by connecting 

 it with a negative pole of a battery and closing the circuit with another 

 short piece of wire. This short wire is in contact with the acid and con- 

 nected with the other pole of the charged battery. 



in the same manner upon the next adjacent part of the wire, 

 and this, in turn, on the next section. In this fashion the 

 negative charge might travel on. 



Unfortunately, experiments disprove our assumption 



