All Formats & Editions

Benjamin Franklin is well known to most of us, yet his fundamental and wide-ranging contributions to science are still not adequately understood. Until now he has usually been incorrectly regarded as a practical inventor and tinkerer rather than a scientific thinker. He was... Read Full Overview

Cohen (history of science, Harvard) reveals the important theoretical side to Franklin's scientific work. He traces his study, especially of Newton, and examines the theoretical basis of his electricity experiments, noting that Franklin's success as a diplomat was due to his... Read Full Overview