Electricity’s Spark of Life Additional Information

Recommended Web sites:

The Bakken Library and Museum of Electricity in Life has a Web site at http://www.thebakken.org/.

You can get basic information about electricity at http://clarkpud.apogee.net/kids/ (Clark Public Utilities).

You can learn more about the brain electrode invented by Philip Kennedy at http://www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/scienceandsociety/scienceinyourlife/capturing.htm (Emory University).

You can find the full text of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/SheFran.html (University of Virginia).

Neuroscience for Kids

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

(Eric H. Chudler, University of Washington)


Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:

[book] Electricity — Steve Parker

Published by Dorling Kindersley, 1992.

The mysterious force of electricity has been around since the beginning of the universe, but it wasn’t until the last two centuries that people have been able to harness its power. This Eyewitness Book uses detailed three-dimensional photographs and artwork to show how electricity works and how its use has changed our world. Discussions of electromagnetism, conductors and circuits, appliances, communication, and the history of electrical inventions are included, along with an index.

[book] Looking Inside the Brain — Ron Schultz

Published by John Muir Publications, 1992.

Your brain is 2 1/2 pounds of “jellolike matter.” Inside that mass is an incredible network of nerve pathways. They send information to every part of your body. This book invites you to look inside your brain and find out how it works. Color photographs of the brain, including cross sections, and cartoon drawings illustrate many different abilities. How do you remember information, know how to walk, and grow? The relationship of the brain to the rest of the nervous system, the way the brain controls your dreams and allows you to be creative, and what can go wrong when the brain malfunctions are all explored.

[book] Wilhelm Roentgen and the Discovery of X Rays —Kimberly Garcia

Published by Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2003.

Late one night in 1895, Wilhelm Roentgen was conducting electricity experiments in his laboratory, when he discovered “invisible light.” To test his invention, he asked his wife to place her hand on a photographic plate—for 15 minutes! That first X-ray would become more famous than Roentgen could ever have imagined! Did you know that X-rays are used for more than just medicine? They are used to authenticate paintings, stamps and coins, and for other uses as well.

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Power Words

electricity 1. The collection of physical effects resulting from the existence of charged particles, especially electrons and protons, and their interactions. Particles with like charges repel each other. Particles with opposite charges attract each other. 2. The electric current generated by the flow of electrons around a circuit and used as a source of power.

electrocardiogram (EKG) A recording of the electrical activity of the heart. The electrocardiogram is used by doctors to analyze how well the heart is working and to diagnose heart rhythms. The machine used to record an electrocardiogram is called an electrocardiograph.

electroencephalogram (EEG) A recording of the electrical activity of the brain. It is used to diagnose abnormalities of the brain. The machine used to record an encephalogram is called an encephalograph.

nerve cell Any of the cells of the nervous system. Nerve cells typically consist of a cell body, which contains a nucleus and receives incoming nerve impulses, and an axon, which carries impulses away from the cell body. Also called neuron.

Copyright © 2002, 2003 Houghton-Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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