When they hear the name Ben Franklin, many folks think of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress and things like that.
听到本杰明-富兰克林这个名字时，很多人首先会想到《独立宣言》，大陆会议等事件。
Not as many people remember that Franklin was an inventor . . . and a good one, too! He also did some pioneering work in physics.
而很少有人记得富兰克林还是一位发明家，一名十分优秀的发明家！他还曾在物理领域做过一些开创性的工作。
Sure, sure, you say. You think I'm about to tell that old story about flying a kite in a thunderstorm.
你连称“是是是”，或许你觉得我会重复老掉牙的“电闪雷鸣放风筝”的故事。
I can see you reaching for the knob on your radio. But wait!
我能感觉到你的手正伸向电台准备换频道。不妨等一等！
Forget about the kite and think fur instead. Franklin took some fur and rubbed it across a rubber rod.
别提放风筝了，思考一下皮毛。富兰克林拿着一些皮毛与一根橡胶棒进行摩擦。
He had suspended the rod by a thin string. Then he tried it with a glass rod. Then he used silk instead of fur. What was he up to?
他用一根细绳将橡胶棒悬挂起来。接着他用把一根玻璃棒也悬挂起来。然后他用丝巾代替了皮毛进行摩擦。他意欲何为？
He was experimenting with electric charge. The glass rod rubbed with silk repelled another glass rod rubbed with silk.
他正在进行电荷实验。丝巾摩擦过的玻璃棒相互排斥，
The rubber rod rubbed with fur attracted the glass rod.
而皮毛摩擦过的橡胶棒却与玻璃棒相互吸引。
译文为秀哈英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载!
