a) What inspired him in his childhood ?
-Benjamin's period of formal schooling was less than two years, and at the age of ten he was put to work in his father's shop.
Benjamin Franklin was restless and unhappy in the shop.
Benjamin Franklin was restless and unhappy in the shop.
His father took him into various shops in Boston, to see different artisans at work, in the hope that he would be attracted to some trade. But Benjamin Franklin saw nothing that he wished to pursue.
Colonial NewspapersHis fondness for books finally determined his career.
Colonial NewspapersHis fondness for books finally determined his career.
His older brother James was a printer, and in those days a printer had to be a literary man as well as a mechanic. James Franklin needed an apprentice and so Benjamin Franklin was bound by law to serve his brother, at the age of thirteen.
-On a visit to Boston in 1746 he saw some electrical experiments and at once became deeply interested.
A friend, Peter Collinson of London, sent him some of the crude electrical apparatus of the day, which Franklin used, as well as some equipment he had purchased in Boston.
b) Why is his discovery important ?
-Benjamin Franklin's mechanical ingenuity first revealed itself during his employment as a printer. He invented a method of casting type and making ink.
He anonymous printed a pamphlet on "The Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency" calling attention to the need for paper money in Pennsylvania, and succeeded in winning the contract to print the money.Benjamin Franklin carried on experiments with the Leyden jar, made an electrical battery, killed a fowl and roasted it upon a spit turned by electricity, sent a current through water to ignite alcohol, ignited gunpowder, and charged glasses of wine so that the drinkers received shocks.
-More important, perhaps, he began to develop the theory of the identity of lightning and electricity, and the possibility of protecting buildings by iron rods. Using an iron rod he brought down electricity into his house, and studied its effect upon bells, he concluded that clouds were generally negatively electrified.
c) What challenges does he have to face in his life ?
-Benjamin Franklin was bound by law to serve his brother
-He ran away from home .
hi clara, good choice of person! Other than science, what else did Benjamin Franklin contribute to society?
ReplyDeleteAlso, considering that he only had 2 years of school, do you think his real life experiences outside of school at such a young age helped him more in his achievements later on in life? Or should he have stayed in school?
Also, why do you think he ran away from home?