Ben Franklin Was Lucky!

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Ask an adult to help you with this experiment.

Benjamin Franklin could have died from many of his electricity experiments. One year he wanted to use electricity to kill a turkey for Christmas dinner. While checking his equipment, he touched two parts at the same time and got a big shock. His whole body vibrated, and his arms were numb until the next morning. He was lucky he wasn’t burned or electrocuted!

Teamwork
Can you figure out why Ben Franklin got shocked? Discuss what will happen to the light when you set up the  circuit  below. Record your prediction. Set up the circuit and then lay the thick wire between the two exposed wires. Observe what happens. Then IMMEDIATELY remove the thick wire and disconnect the battery.

1. Your prediction: __________________________________________
   
   
2. What happened? _________________________________________
   
   
3. You built a short circuit. Explain why it’s called a short circuit.
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4. Based on your experiment, can you tell why Benjamin Franklin got shocked?
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