FROM SCRATCH SERIES || CHAPTER 1: वैद्युतकषास्त्र (THE ELECTRICITY महायज्ञ) || PART 7: First Conduction and Insulation in History

 Part 7 || First Conduction and Insulation in History ||

The next person falls contemporary to Mr. Hauksbee and Sir Newton: Mr. Stephen Gray(1666 - 1736). From WikiPedia, Mr. Gray was an English Dyer and astronomer. 

Stephen Gray

Caveat: “There are no known authentic portraits of Stephen Gray, and images often circulated online are not verified representations of him.”

Note: I am not taking primary sources on his biographical data as I do not deem it to hold much importance. 

Born in Canterbury, Kent, received some basic schooling, and apprenticed as a dyer under his father(& later his elder brother), Later became a scientist by teaching himself  natural science and astronomy due to wealthy friends who gave him access to their libraries and instruments. what an OG. 

I found another article on him on the website of Linda Hall Library, dated 2022. There is apparently this controversy over Gray's work being suppressed by the Newtonian Faction while Newton was the president of the Royal Society on account of Gray's friendship with James Flemsteed - A bitter enemy of Newton. It is mentioned on this site that there is no known portrait of Gray. 

Anyways, Our point of interest in his work is his experiments on conduction. Now, Mr. Gray did not write any major books. His works are mostly published as letters and papers in the 'philosophical transactions of the royal society of London'. I am mostly gonna base my study on this man's works off this article of Linda Hall's. They've provided the relevant excerpts already. Mr. Gray basically extended the previously used electrics. From wikipedia, I found this background story: It was one night, in this charter house rooms, 

He initially tried using silk threads to transmit electricity, but when he substituted that for a metal string was he able to extend and transmit charges to unto 650 feet. Here's an excerpt: 

His published paper in the philosophical transactions of the Royal Society titled: 'A letter containing several experiments concerning electricity'. In this, he also describes one of his most famous experiments. He hung up and suspended mid-air- A school boy, with the help of silk-threads/cords, and the boy be then electrified by bringing a charged generator close to the boy's feet. He discovered, that the boy's face and hands attracted stuff. Here's an excerpt from his paper and a later illustration: 

illustration of the flying-boy experiment

The flying boy experiment, as it is called, was an example of another discovery of Mr. Gray -> 'electrostatic Induction' -> as the charged tube was brought near the boy's feet but wasn't touched with him. Mr. Gray hence drew up distinction between material that does and that does not convey charge ahead. But the modern terminology for these names do not come from him but his wealthy benefactor and scientific interpreter: John Theophilus Desaguliers, an assistant to Sir Isaac Newton. He coined the terms for these materials as: conductors and insulators.