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Location:
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Date:
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Saturday, Jan.08 |
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Time:
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1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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Price:
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Member: $52.00
Nonmember: $77.00
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Sponsor:
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Committee on History and Philosophy in Physics
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Co-Sponsor(s):
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Committee on Apparatus
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Leader(s):
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Robert Morse, rmorse@cathedral.org
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Co-Leader(s):
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None
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Description
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Benjamin Franklin's experiments and observations on electricity established his reputation as a scientist, our electrical conventions and vocabulary, and the principle of charge conservation. In his letters, Franklin builds, tests, and defends his model with skill and eloquence, arguing from experiment, sharing both his wisdom and doubts, while conveying his fascination with electricity. As Franklin lacked formal schooling in mathematics, his theory was qualitative, and is an approachable example of hands-on and minds-on construction of a conceptual model with significant explanatory power. In this workshop (developed at the Wright Center for Science Teaching at Tufts University), working with Franklin's descriptions, we will recreate many of his experiments using modern, inexpensive materials. Participants will receive a kit of materials, selections from the workshop manual and a CD-ROM containing the complete workshop manual, a collection of Franklin's letters relating to electricity, and movie clips illustrating the experiments.
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