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STEPHEN GRAY E a DESCOBERTA DOS CONDUTORES E ISOLANTES Conselho Editorial Acadêmico Responsável Pela Publicação Desta Obra

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STEPHEN GRAY E a DESCOBERTA DOS CONDUTORES E ISOLANTES Conselho Editorial Acadêmico Responsável Pela Publicação Desta Obra DOS CONDUTORESE ISOLANTES DOS CONDUTORESE A DESCOBERTA E STEPHEN GRAY STEPHEN GRAY E A DESCOBERTA DOS CONDUTORES E ISOLANTES TRADUÇÃO COMENTADA DE SEUS ARTIGOS SOBRE ELETRICIDADE E REPRODUÇÃO DE SEUS PRINCIPAIS EXPERIMENTOS SERGIO LUIZ BRAGATTO BOSS ANDRÉ KOCH TORRES ASSIS JOÃO JOSÉ CALUZI JOSÉ JOÃO ASSIS TORRES KOCH ANDRÉ SERGIO LUIZ BOSS BRAGATTO JOÃO JOSÉ CALUZI STEPHEN GRAY E A DESCOBERTA DOS CONDUTORES E ISOLANTES Conselho Editorial Acadêmico Responsável pela publicação desta obra Prof. Dr. Washington Luiz Pacheco de Carvalho Prof. Dr. João José Caluzi Profª. Drª. Ana Maria de Andrade Caldeira Prof. Dr. Antonio Vicente Marafioti Garnica Profª. Drª. Luciana Maria Lunardi Campos Prof. Dr. Roberto Nardi Prof. Dr. Nelson Antonio Pirola Prof. Dr. Osmar Cavassan Doutoranda Maria de Fátima Neves Sandrin Doutaranda Renata Cristina Cabrera SERGIO LUIZ BRAGATTO BOSS ANDRÉ KOCH TORRES ASSIS JOÃO JOSÉ CALUZI STEPHEN GRAY E A DESCOBERTA DOS CONDUTORES E ISOLANTES: TRADUÇÃO COMENTADA DE SEUS ARTIGOS SOBRE ELETRICIDADE E REPRODUÇÃO DE SEUS PRINCIPAIS EXPERIMENTOS © 2012 Editora Unesp Cultura Acadêmica Praça da Sé, 108 01001-900 – São Paulo – SP Tel.: (0xx11) 3242-7171 Fax: (0xx11) 3242-7172 www.editoraunesp.com.br [email protected] CIP– Brasil. Catalogação na fonte Sindicato Nacional dos Editores de Livros, RJ B757s Boss, Sérgio Luiz Bragatto Stephen Gray e a descoberta dos condutores e isolantes : tradução comentada de seus artigos sobre eletricidade e reprodução de seus principais experimentos / Sérgio Luiz Bragatto Boss, André Koch Torres de Assis, João José Caluzi. – São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica, 2012. 464 p. Inclui bibliografia e índice ISBN 978-85-7983-374-8 1. Gray, Stephen. 2. Físicos - Inglaterra - Biografia. 3. Condutores elétricos. 4. Indução eletromagnética. 5. Eletricidade. I. Assis, André Koch Torres de. II. Caluzi, João José. III. Título. 12-9173. CDD: 925.3 CDU: 929:53 041593 Este livro é publicado pelo Programa de Publicações Digitais da Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”(Unesp) AGRADECIMENTOS Os autores agradecem a todos que, direta ou indiretamente, con- tribuíram para a realização deste trabalho. Em particular, agradecem o apoio recebido da Faculdade de Ciências da Unesp -Bauru, do Cen- tro de Formação de Professores da UFRB e do Instituto de Física da Unicamp. SUMÁRIO Apresentação 11 Introdução 13 Parte I – Vida e obra de Stephen Gray 15 1 Biografia de Gray 17 2 Linha do tempo 41 Parte II – Contexto da época e informações gerais 47 3 História sucinta da eletricidade na época de Gray 49 4 Informações introdutórias sobre eletricidade e sobre os experimentos de Gray 63 Parte III – Traduções dos artigos de Gray sobre eletricidade 101 5 Artigo 1 – Carta de Stephen Gray para Hans 7 Sloane, de 3 de janeiro de 170 ∕8 103 8 S. L. B. BOSS | A. K. T. ASSIS | J. J. CALUZI 6 Artigo 2 – Uma descrição de alguns experimentos elétricos novos 119 7 Artigo 3 – Uma carta para Cromwell Mortimer, M. D. Secr. R. S. contendo vários experimentos a respeito da eletricidade 127 8 Artigo 4 – Uma carta a respeito da eletricidade da água, do Sr. Stephen Gray para Cromwell Mortimer, M. D. secr. R. S. 171 9 Artigo 5 – Uma carta do Sr. Stephen Gray para o Dr. Cromwell Mortimer, Secr. R. S. contendo descrições adicionais de seus experimentos a respeito da eletricidade 179 10 Artigo 6 – Duas cartas do Sr. Stephen Gray F. R. S. para C. Mortimer, M. D. Secr. R. S. contendo descrições adicionais de seus experimentos a respeito da eletricidade 189 11 Artigo 7 – Experimentos e observações sobre a luz que é produzida pela comunicação da atração elétrica para corpos animados ou inanimados, com alguns dos seus mais surpreendentes efeitos; comunicado em uma carta do Sr. Stephen Gray, F. R. S. para Cromwell Mortimer, M. D. Secr. R. S. 221 12 Artigo 8 – Uma carta de Stephen Gray, F. R. S. para Dr. Mortimer, Secr. R. S. contendo alguns experimentos relacionados à eletricidade 239 13 Artigo 9 – Sr. Stephen Gray, F. R. S. sua última carta para Granville Wheler, Esq.; F. R. S. a respeito das revoluções que pequenos corpos STEPHEN GRAY E A DESCOBERTA DOS CONDUTORES E ISOLANTES 9 pendulares, pela eletricidade, fazem em torno de grandes corpos de oeste para leste como fazem os planetas ao redor do Sol 249 14 Artigo 10 – Um relato de alguns experimentos elétricos planejados para serem comunicados a Royal Society pelo Sr. Stephen Gray, F. R. S. tomado de sua boca por Cromwell Mortimer, 5 M. D. Secr. R. S. em 14 de fevereiro de 173 /6, sendo o dia anterior ao da sua morte 251 Parte IV – Reprodução dos principais experimentos de Gray com materiais de baixo custo 259 15 Experimentos do Artigo 1 261 16 Experimentos do Artigo 2 297 17 Experimentos do Artigo 3 309 18 Experimentos do Artigo 4 361 19 Experimentos do Artigo 5 373 20 Experimentos do Artigo 6 393 21 Experimentos do Artigo 7 411 22 Experimentos do Artigo 8 427 23 Experimentos do Artigo 10 433 Parte V – Conclusão 439 Considerações finais 441 Referências 449 APRESENTAÇÃO Este livro apresenta a vida e a obra de Stephen Gray (1666 -1736). Nele, é mostrado o conhecimento sobre eletricidade até a época de Gray, algumas de suas contribuições mais relevantes, além da influência de sua obra sobre os pesquisadores que vieram depois dele. A principal descoberta de Gray foi perceber que existem na natureza dois tipos de substâncias com propriedades elétricas bem diferentes. Hoje essas substâncias são denominadas condutores e isolantes. Ele descobriu ainda algumas das principais propriedades dessas substâncias. Conseguiu atribuir aos metais e a outros condu- tores, pela primeira vez na história, a propriedade de atrair corpos leves colocados em suas proximidades – esse fenômeno é chamado atualmente de indução ou polarização elétrica. Também conseguiu eletrizar condutores isolados por meio de faíscas ou descargas elé- tricas entre esses condutores e um tubo de vidro eletrizado colo- cado em suas proximidades. Criou ainda os primeiros eletretos da História, ou seja, substâncias que apresentam uma eletrização de longa duração, mostrando ainda como preservar temporalmente a eletrização dos corpos. Nesta obra é apresentada a tradução comentada de seus dez ar- tigos sobre eletricidade. Seus experimentos são contextualizados, ilustrados com figuras didáticas e explicados com base nos conheci- 12 S. L. B. BOSS | A. K. T. ASSIS | J. J. CALUZI mentos de Física atuais. São apresentados também alguns dos prin- cipais instrumentos elétricos, tais como o versório, o eletroscópio, a linha pendular e o pêndulo elétrico. Além disso, são discutidas as diferenças entre os vidros da época de Gray e os vidros atuais. Seus principais experimentos são reproduzidos com materiais de baixo custo. No final da obra discute -se, ainda, de forma sucinta, a rela- ção de alguns aspectos deste livro com a educação científica. O livro termina com uma ampla bibliografia. INTRODUÇÃO Este livro1 apresenta a vida e a obra de Stephen Gray (1666- 1736), que foi um dos principais pesquisadores sobre eletricidade do início do século XVIII. Apresenta também, de forma sucinta, o conhecimento sobre eletricidade até sua época, enfatizando as prin- cipais descobertas de Gray, assim como o impacto de sua obra no trabalho dos cientistas que o sucederam. Entre as mais importantes descobertas de Gray está a distinção de condutores e isolantes, assim como suas principais propriedades. Gray também conseguiu comunicar a eletricidade a distância ao aproximar um tubo de vidro eletrizado por atrito da extremidade de um condutor isolado eletricamente, observando que a outra ex- tremidade do condutor passava a atrair corpos leves colocados em suas proximidades. Dessa forma, ele conseguiu fazer com que me- tais, pedaços de madeira, água e outros condutores exibissem pro- priedades elétricas, algo que historicamente não havia sido obtido por outros pesquisadores. Conseguiu também eletrizar condutores isolados ao realizar descargas elétricas entre estes e tubos de vidro 1 Originou -se da tese de doutorado intitulada “Tradução comentada de artigos de Stephen Gray (1666 -1736) e reprodução de experimentos históricos com materiais acessíveis: subsídios para o ensino de eletricidade”, defendida pelo Programa de Pós -Graduação em Educação para a Ciência da Faculdade de Ciências – Unesp, campus Bauru -SP. 14 S. L. B. BOSS | A. K. T. ASSIS | J. J. CALUZI atritados colocados em suas proximidades. Criou os primeiros ele- tretos da história, isto é, corpos que apresentam uma eletrização de longa duração. Mostrou ainda como preservar, ao longo do tempo, a eletrização adquirida pelos corpos. A descoberta dos condutores e isolantes permitiu o controle da eletricidade, ocasionando um rápi- do desenvolvimento do conhecimento elétrico e de suas aplicações tecnológicas. Nesta obra, é feita uma tradução comentada dos dez artigos de Gray que tratam de eletricidade. Além disso, seus principais ex- perimentos são reproduzidos com materiais de baixo custo, e são apresentadas figuras para ilustrar suas experiências. Os principais fenômenos descritos por ele são interpretados do ponto de vista da Física atual, ou seja, em termos de cargas positivas e negativas, polarização ou indução elétrica, comportamento dos condutores e isolantes etc. Ao final, discute-se ainda, de forma sucinta, a rela- ção de alguns aspectos deste livro com a educação científica. O objetivo deste livro é tornar mais conhecidas a vida e a obra de Gray, ajudando a resgatar a memória desse grande pesquisador, que tinha um olhar afiado, era bastante preciso em suas explicações, criativo em suas ideias e muito claro em seus textos. Espera -se tam- bém motivar outras pessoas a se aprofundarem nessas pesquisas, desenvolvendo a obra de Gray, utilizando -a no ensino e ajudando a divulgá -la. PARTE I VIDA E OBRA DE STEPHEN GRAY 1 BIOGRAFIA DE GRAY 1.1 Introdução Stephen Gray1 (1666 -1736) foi um importante, porém pouco mencionado, pesquisador do início do século XVIII.
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