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In 1752, Benjamin Franklin had a theory that lightning was electricity. He wanted to prove that the power could be transferred to other objects. He grabbed a kite and experimented on a stormy afternoon. Franklin believed that thunder clouds contained electrical charges. His plan was to fly the kite into the clouds so that electricity passed down the wet kite string. With Benjamin Franklinas his assistant, he went to work. First, he tied an iron key to the silk kite string. Next, he ran a metal wire from the key into a jar designed to store electrical charges. Once the kite was in the air, he stood in a barn to keep safe and dry. Soon, electrical charges from the clouds passed into the kite. They traveled along the wet string, to the key, down the wire, and into the jar. When Franklin reached his hand toward the key, he received a mild shock. The electricity had been captured and transferred. The experiment was a success. At least it was for Benjamin Franklin. Other scientists were killed trying to duplicate his efforts. Looking back, it was not the safest way to test his theory. In this case, it worked out, and paved the way for future discoveries about electricity. whats point of view

User Amit Singh
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Final answer:

The story about Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment is written in a third-person point of view, which narrates events objectively. The experiment was significant in the progress of understanding electricity, and while it succeeded, it highlighted the dangers inherent in such electrical experiments.

Step-by-step explanation:

The perspective given in the story about Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment is from a third-person point of view. The story narrates Franklin's actions, his thought process, and events from an outsider's perspective without using first-person pronouns like 'I' or 'we', which are indicative of a first-person point of view. This approach provides an objective recount of the historical event without personal bias or internal thoughts from Franklin himself.

Franklin's experiment with the kite and key was a pivotal moment in the understanding of electricity and laid the groundwork for future developments in electrical theory, including the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta, influenced by Luigi Galvani's work with static electricity and frog muscles.

Despite the success of Franklin's experiment, it was a dangerous endeavor, as indicated by the fact that other scientists died trying to replicate it. His use of a Leyden jar to capture electrical charges from the storm introduced an early form of capacitor, demonstrating the similarity between lightning and lab-generated static electricity, further highlighting the unity of the laws of nature.

User Jack Bracken
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