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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ELECTRICITY

Electricity has become such an important feature in the practice of beauty culture that the Madam C. J. Walker Schools of Beauty Culture feel that a chapter should be devoted to its use in order that our students may become acquainted with the fundamentals, at least of this very useful and beneficial force.

It is possible to install electrical apparatus to the extent of thousands of dollars in a superbly equipped beauty shop. We will not attempt to deal with the lavish, extraordinary equipment of such shops but the usual and almost indispensable appliances that would be found in the average moderately equipped establishment.

The electrical equipment used by the beauty culturist of today has been an invaluable asset to the advancement of the profession of beauty culture and some knowledge of it is essential to every operator.

ELECTRICITY is that force or property in bodies which, when excited by friction, chemical activity, or magnetism, attracts or repels other bodies. It is present everywhere, activates that form of matter known as ether, furnishes the universe with heat, light, power and energy. Electricity may be generated for practical use by mechanical apparatus such as dynamos of magnetos, or chemically in the form of cells or batteries. It may be classified as STATIC and MAGNETIC. Static electricity is electricity at rest. Magnetic electricity is electricity produced by magnetic influence.

Electricity in motion, or moving within a given path is known as an ELECTRIC CURRENT.There are two types of electric current: DIRECT CURRENT (D.C.) is an uninterrupted and even-flowing current generated chemically by cells, mechanically by dynamos. ALTERNATING CURRENT (A.C.) is an interrupted or vacillating current which reverses its flow at intervals, and is generated by magnetos.

A CONDUCTOR is any substance which will attract or allow an electric current to flow through it freely. The most commonly used for commercial purposes is copper. Other good conductors are: gold, silver, aluminum, zinc (practically all metal), fresh and salt water, carbon, wet cotton and the fur of animals.

A NON-CONDUCTOR is a substance that will not permit electrical current to flow through it, such as rubber, asbestos, glass,

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dry wood, paper, and cement. All electrical wires are covered with wrappings of some form of non-conductor such as rubber or asbestos to make them safe. This form of protection is called INSULATION.

ORDINARY ELECTRICAL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

VOLT-The unit of force.
OHM-The unit of measurement of resistance.
AMPERE-The unit of measuring force passing through resistance.
WATT-The unit of power of electrical current, approximately 1/100 ampere.
CIRCUIT-The flow of current from source to destination.
OPEN CIRCUIT-A break in the circuitous flow of current.
CLOSED CIRCUIT-When a connection is made to the gap or break of an open circuit.
COMPLETE CIRCUIT-When the current is drawn through the break by attaching and operating an appliance.
SHORT CIRCUIT-If while the current is being drawn by the appliance it is diverted from its regular course, and does not complete its circuit, a short circuit occurs. The flow of current is temporarily checked, a blown fuse results.
BATTERY (Dry)-An apparatus containing two or more cells for generating electricity.
BATTERY (Wet)-An insulated vessel containing metal plates, immersed in acid solution to generate electricity.
RHEOSTAT-An instrument which controls the flow of current.
CONVERTER-An apparatus used to change direct current to alternating current.
RECTIFIER-That which changes alternating current to a direct flow in order to obtain galvanism.
TRANSFORMER-An apparatus for increasing or decreasing the voltage of alternating current.
ELECTRODE-Either of the terminals of an electrical source, ANODE or CATHODE.

It is very necessary that beauty culturists, especially shop owners, pay attention to the kind of current in the locality in which they are located, as most electrically operated machines are made especially for alternating current or direct current and it is necessary in purchasing such equipment to state the type of current with which their shop is supplied, also the voltage of that current.

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