On a summer day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s first scientists, flew a kite during a thunderstorm and demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning. While he may not have discovered electricity, Franklin’s interest in the subject led to numerous experiments and the invention of the lightning rod. In fact, he coined several electrical terms still in use today including: battery, conductor and electrician.
The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) invites visitors to become scientists like Franklin and explore the fundamentals of the phenomena of electricity with a new traveling exhibit titled Electricity from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pa.
Electricity features hands-on, interactive stations that bring the science and history of electricity to life. Visitors can safely examine concepts such as static electricity and live current, motors, batteries and wires, attraction and repulsion, sparks, charge and discharge, voltage, AC and DC, magnetic fields and magnetic motion, lights, telegraphs and more.
GEHC’s Director of Programming Jason West said, “This exhibit certainly sparks an individual’s curiosity for science and technology. By seeing magnets float in the air, electric volts pass through a Jacob’s Ladder, and using a telegraph to send a secret message in Morse Code, visitors gain an appreciation for the amazing principles of electricity.”
Electricity is on display until Jan. 3, 2018, and is included in GEHC admission. The GEHC is located at 2020 Clean Water Drive in Buford, Ga. For more information, call 770.904.3500.
In this Photo Photo: Guests explore a Plasma Tube on a visit to the Electricity exhibit. The exhibit was created by the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pa. and will be on the campus of the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center until Jan. 3, 2018. (photo courtesy of the Franklin Institute)
