## Chapter 166: Arthur’s Electronic Theory
The sun had set, the moon had risen, and a gentle breeze swept across the London sky.
A group of ladies in long gowns and a throng of Royal Navy colonels and generals gathered around the iron cage, their eyes filled with curiosity. It had been modified twice by Faraday, based on Arthur’s suggestion.
Of course, a cage wasn’t inherently captivating. The intrigue stemmed from the fact that Mr. Carter, the young master of the Carter family, was confined within it.
Elder’s face was flushed, and though the darkness concealed his agitation, the newly installed gas lamps cast a faint blush on his cheeks.
“Arthur, Arthur!” Elder urged, his voice low, “Damn it, this isn’t what we agreed upon! Didn’t you say you’d be inside, and I’d be outside?”
Arthur cranked the hand-operated generator, an electric arc crackling on the discharge rod, making Elder’s hair stand on end.
“Are you sure this is safe? This thing won’t electrocute me, will it?”
“No,” Arthur replied calmly. “It’ll just numb you. You’ll be fine after a while.”
“What?” Elder’s face turned green. “Didn’t you say this was theoretically safe?”
Arthur responded, “Yes, it’s theoretically safe. But you know, Elder, theory is theory, and practice is practice. All I can say is, it worked fine in the last experiment. And even if something goes wrong, don’t panic. It’s not a big deal. So, even if you get shocked, please bear with it. Don’t make a sound.”
Elder frowned. “Why can’t I make a sound? Do you want me to prove my fearless courage?”
Arthur calmly continued cranking the generator. “No, it’s to prove my experiment worked.”
“Arthur, you…”
But Arthur wasn’t giving Elder the chance to unleash his verbal barrage. He turned around, a confident smile gracing his face.
“Gentlemen, ladies, thank you for braving the evening chill and joining us in the courtyard. I’d like to introduce to you all another significant breakthrough in the field of electromagnetism in Britain—the phenomenon of electrostatic shielding.”
With that, Arthur picked up an oil lamp and presented a piece of cloth to the assembled guests, allowing each gentleman and lady to examine it.
“As you can see, this is an ordinary, unused piece of cloth, produced by a tailor’s factory in Lancashire. It’s just as durable and hard-wearing as other cotton textiles from Lancashire. However, this cloth, which could last for years or even decades in a household, is utterly vulnerable in the face of electricity.”
Arthur retrieved the cloth from the guests, hanging it on a previously prepared clothesline.
He then cranked the hand-operated generator he was carrying on his back. A sinuous electric tongue instantly shot out from the discharge rod, striking the cloth’s surface.
A bright light flashed, the current instantly piercing the cloth. A tiny black hole appeared on its surface. As the current continued to flow, sparks soon rose from the cloth’s surface, followed by flames that engulfed the cloth into the void of the night.
The ladies covered their lips with their fans. “Goodness! So, are you going to use this thing to electrocute Mr. Carter in the cage?”
Arthur sighed in regret. “Actually, the current output of the hand-operated generator is still too low. I originally planned to bring the massive Voltaic pile from the Royal Society. That pile, almost the size of a room, can output over 100,000 units of voltage.
If I could use it for demonstration, it would be much clearer for you all to understand the destructive power of electricity.
But Mr. Faraday and I agreed that he would lend me the Voltaic pile. However, if I damaged it during transportation, I’d have to repair it. After much deliberation, I ultimately decided against borrowing it.”
A lady, adorned with white lace gloves, a silver satin off-the-shoulder gown, a braided bun, and a pale yellow shawl, exclaimed in surprise.
“I… I’ve always heard that those who study electricity are crazy. The more accomplished they are in the field, the more dangerous they become. It seems that wasn’t a rumor after all.”
Arthur noticed the lady’s braided bun and couldn’t help but jest, “Madam, your hairstyle is also quite dangerous. Perhaps you should consider studying electricity too. However, your impression of electrical researchers is quite accurate. It’s a very dangerous field of study.
I know that many of you gentlemen and ladies here are familiar with the scientific field. So, you must know about the French electrical researcher, Father Jean-Antoine Nollet. He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the president of the French Academy of Sciences, and the sponsor of the invention of the Leyden jar, an early capacitor.
Back then, Father Nollet wanted to understand how fast electricity travels. He specially made a large set of Leyden jars.
Then he gathered 200 monks from the monastery, had them hold iron chains, and lined them up in a human electrical wire about 1 mile long. Finally, Father Nollet discharged the Leyden jars. Amazingly, the monks were all simultaneously electrocuted and fell to the ground, almost within the range of human vision.
Since then, Father Nollet understood that the speed of electricity exceeds 200 monks per second. Moreover, the speed of electricity is directly proportional to the consumption rate of French monks, while the growth rate of French monks is inversely proportional to the frequency of Father Nollet’s experiments. This is the famous French Nollet-Monk Conservation Law.”
As soon as Arthur finished speaking, the assembled gentlemen and ladies burst into laughter. The atmosphere in the room became much more relaxed.
Seeing everyone’s enthusiasm, Arthur couldn’t help but add two more sentences. “Of course, Father Nollet’s research achievements are not limited to this. As a great electrical researcher, he has also conducted many interesting experiments.
For example, he suspended a young man from the ceiling with an insulated silk thread and charged his body. Afterward, it was observed that objects like paper and coins were involuntarily attracted to him. When someone approached him, sparks would even fly.
Or, if an electrified person cuts himself, the wound wouldn’t bleed normally. The blood would spray out from the wound like electricity.”
Arthur chatted enthusiastically with the guests, but Elder in the cage felt a chill run through his entire body.
He had thought being a science assistant was a good gig—no need to bother learning science, and he could still show off at parties.
But now he finally understood that whether you crave beauty or despise science, it will always catch up to you one day.
After saying these words, Arthur picked up the discharge rod and walked towards Elder, comforting him, “Don’t worry, didn’t you claim to be a science insulator? If that’s true, even Sir Isaac Newton’s law of universal gravitation wouldn’t affect you. Jumping from a building wouldn’t be a problem. Elder, just a little electricity. Relax.”
“Arthur, you damn…”
But before Elder could finish his sentence, Arthur had already started to crank the hand-operated generator faster.
Electric arcs flickered in the air, a series of crackling sounds echoed, and a string of electric currents, like silver snakes, struck the Faraday cage one after another.
Elder had just realized what was happening. He was about to fear the worst, but after a moment, he realized he didn’t seem to feel any electric shock at all.
Not only that, but a pleasant breeze blew up inside the cage, blowing his unfastened hat to the ground.
Elder, unsure, touched the inner wall of the cage. Once he confirmed he was truly alright, his courage instantly soared.
Elder picked up his hat from the ground, laughing with ease. “Gentlemen, ladies, as you can see, I… uh, Arthur, what was that phenomenon called? Oh, yes! Electrostatic shielding! Yes, gentlemen, ladies, I’m shielded!”
As Elder said, he was indeed shielded. All eyes were now focused on Arthur.
The guests were amazed, the ladies’ eyes widened, completely bewildered as to why Elder hadn’t been electrocuted.
A few guests who had a grudge against Elder couldn’t help but show a hint of disappointment. With the previous setup, they had thought Arthur’s demonstration today was to prove how much energy the hand-operated generator would consume on Elder.
The generals, however, were clearly focusing on the combat aspect.
General Kirkland was the first to ask, “Mr. Hastings, does this mean that electricity wouldn’t have any damaging effect on medieval knights in cans?”
General Smith pondered, stroking his chin, “There wasn’t any wind just now, but why did this kid Elder’s hat blow to the ground? Elder, were you messing around in there?”
Lady Codrington, the hostess, smiled brightly, pleased with Arthur’s demonstration. “Mr. Hastings, people say you’re Britain’s second-best electromagnetism researcher after Mr. Faraday. But in my opinion, you might be slightly less skilled in research than Michael Faraday, but in terms of humorous explanations and demonstrations, you’re absolutely the best. Are you going to tell us about the profound principles behind this now?”
Arthur just smiled, “Actually, it’s not that profound. Regarding the research on this ‘Faraday cage’, Mr. Faraday and I are merely inheriting the achievements of his mentor, Sir Humphry Davy.”
At this moment, Lady Cowper, who had only been watching everything with wide eyes, finally couldn’t hold back. Sir Humphry Davy, Faraday’s mentor, was not only a brilliant scientist but also a former socialite in Britain. Lady Cowper, as an important figure in London’s high society, had naturally maintained a good friendship with him.
Taking this opportunity, Lady Cowper, who had been silent all along, asked, “Mr. Hastings, what’s the connection between this cage and Sir Davy? Was it his creation?”
Arthur smiled and lifted the oil lamp in his hand. “Sir Davy’s name is legendary, so I imagine you’re all familiar with his invention.”
Colonel Elliot leaned down and examined the oil lamp with a copper mesh covering. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and asked, “Is this a Davy lamp? My father’s estate has a mine, and the miners there use this for lighting.”
Arthur nodded slightly, “Yes, this is a Davy lamp. In 1814, there were several coal gas explosions caused by mine lamp flames in coal mines in Newcastle, Cardiff, and other areas in Britain, killing thousands of miners.
Sir Davy, upon hearing this news, immediately shifted his research focus to improving mine lamps. After several months of research, he discovered that if you cover the oil lamp with a layer of copper wire mesh, even if explosive gas enters the lamp, the gas explosion can be confined within the wire mesh, preventing the flame from spilling out and triggering an explosion in the entire mine.
At that time, Sir Davy believed that this was because the copper wire mesh had good thermal conductivity, so it conducted away the heat generated by the oil lamp flame, preventing the flammable gas outside the mine from reaching a temperature above its ignition point, thus suppressing the probability of a mine explosion.
But after the advent of the Faraday cage, which operates on a similar principle, I think the explanation for the Davy lamp may need some adjustments. Because if the copper wire mesh really absorbs heat, then as the lamp burns for a longer time, the wire mesh will eventually be heated to the ignition temperature of the flammable gas. So, I think it’s impossible to explain this from just a macroscopic thermodynamic perspective.”
As Arthur spoke, a lady standing beside Lady Codrington, who appeared to be around her age and wearing a black wide-brimmed hat, suddenly asked, “Are you talking about Mr. John Dalton’s atomic theory?”
Arthur was taken aback by this question. He knew that the ladies of the Blue Stockings Society were always keen on scientific research, but he didn’t expect them to be so knowledgeable.
He looked at the lady, about to ask her name, but then he remembered the rule against asking ladies their names directly. His half-open mouth became slightly stiff.
But Lady Codrington, the hostess, quickly noticed his awkwardness and came to his rescue, smiling. “Mr. Hastings, my apologies, I forgot to introduce you to the guests who have arrived today. The lady standing beside me is Mrs. Mary Somerville. She is a researcher in astrophysics and also works in the field of magnetism.
A few years ago, she published a paper called ‘The Magnetic Power of the More Refracted Rays of the Sun’ in the Royal Society’s journal. However, due to her status, she has yet to give a scientific lecture at the Royal Society. The presentation of that paper was given by her husband, Mr. William Somerville.”
As soon as Arthur heard the name, he immediately recognized who she was. Not long ago, Faraday, to thank her for her assistance in his electromagnetism research, had given him a copy of Laplace’s *Celestial Mechanics* in English, which was about to be published. The translator of that *Celestial Mechanics* was none other than Mrs. Mary Somerville, standing before him.
He took off his hat and bowed. “Madam, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Mrs. Somerville just smiled, “Mr. Hastings, I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. I wanted to tell you that I think Mr. George Airy’s criticism of you is completely unreasonable!
Both the ‘lines of force’ concept that you and Mr. Faraday agree on, as well as your Hastings force, are quite remarkable achievements.
The reason I guessed you were going to explain the Faraday cage and the Davy lamp from the atomic perspective is because you are the one who proposed the Hastings force. I knew you would find the connection between these things in the microscopic world.
So, what exactly have you discovered? Mr. Dalton’s atomic theory says that all matter in the world is composed of atoms. Are you going to make any new additions to this theory?”
Arthur nodded. “Yes, through the Davy lamp and the Faraday cage, I’ve come to believe that matter is not only composed of atoms, and I am honored to announce to the world that all atoms in this world are electrically charged. The Davy lamp might not be as simple as it appears. It’s not just a surface combustion reaction. A few days ago, when I went to borrow something from Mr. Faraday, I mentioned this idea to him. Immediately, we decided to do an experiment together.”
Mrs. Somerville seemed to have thought of something and excitedly asked, “Could it be…”
Arthur smiled, “Through tireless efforts, Mr. Faraday and I used an electrometer to successfully find a potential difference inside a Davy lamp burning in a methane environment.”
(End of Chapter)