CH. XXXVI. 



ELECTRO- MA CNETISM. 



369 



rod a, b y are fixed to the wires of a voltaic battery d, Fig. 63, 

 so that an electric current runs along the rod from a to b t 

 then the north end of the needle will begin to move away 

 from the north towards the west, that is towards the left side 

 of the current ; and it will turn more and more as the cur- 

 rent grows stronger, till it lies right across it, pointing direct 

 east and west. 



This was a very grand fact, and it has become the begin- 

 ning of a new science called electro-magnetism, for it shows 

 that electricity and magnetism are connected in some 



,. \<f 



FIG 63. 

 Magnet turned by an Electric Current. 



a t>, Rod of copper wire, c, Magnetic needle, d, Voltaic pile (explained p. 261). 

 e t>, Glass supports to prevent the current running down to the ground. 



peculiar way. Oersted did not publish an account of his 

 experiments until 1820, and then the whole of Europe rang 

 with the news of the discovery. 



Ampere, 1775-1864. One of the first men who heard 

 of it was Ampere, one of the professors at the Ecole Polytech- 

 nique in Paris. We must pause a moment to learn something 

 of the early history of this man, for it is very interesting. 

 Andre' Ampere was born at Lyons in 1775. When he was 

 quite a little boy he delighted in arithmetic, and used to do 

 long sums for his amusement by means of little pebbles 

 which he arranged in groups Once when he bad a severe 



o nis mother tooK the stones away one. Having left him 

 saone one day ioi a little time... she found on ner return that 



