The action of the telephone illustrates well the wonderfully quick action of the electric current by the reproduction of these sound waves, or air vibrations, for they number many thousands in one minute's speech.
We have now arrived at a very interesting part of the study of electricity, as well as a more difficult part than we have yet told you of, but one which you can easily understand if you read carefully.
You must all have seen electric lights, either in the streets or in some large buildings, for so many electric lights are now used that there are very few people who have not seen them. But perhaps some of you have only seen the large, dazzling lights that are used in the streets, and do not know that there is another kind of electric light which is in a globe about the size and shape of a large pear, and gives about the same light as a good gas-jet.
These two kinds of electric lights have different names.
The large, dazzling lights which you see in the streets are called "arc-lights," and the small, pear-shaped lamps, which give a soft, steady light, are called "incandescent lights." We will tell you later why these names are given to them.
The incandescent lights are generally used in houses, stores, theaters, factories, steamboats, and other places where a number of small lights are more pleasant to the eyes. The arc-lights (Fig. 15) are used to light streets and large spaces where a great quantity of light is wanted.
It would not be pleasant to have one of these dazzling arc-lamps in your parlor--although it would give a great deal of light--because your eyes would soon become tired. But two or three of the small incandescent lights (Fig. 16) would be very agreeable, because they would give you a nice, soft light to read or work by, and would not tire your eyes. So, you see, these two different kinds of lamps are very useful in their proper places.
Now, if you will read patiently and carefully, we will try and explain how both these lights are made.
You have seen that the telegraph, telephone, electric bells, etc., are worked by batteries. Electric lights, however, require such a large amount of current that it is too expensive to produce them in large quantities by batteries. A small number of lamps could be lighted by batteries, but if we were to attempt to use them to light 500 or 1,000 lamps together, the expense would be so enormous as to make it entirely out of the question.