By the early nineteenth century, researchers were aware of the potential of electromagnetism for use in telecommunications. However, experiments by the Englishman Peter Barlow in 1824 had shown that it was impossible to deflect a needle after sending a current through only two hundred feet of wire, thus making any form of long-distance communication impossible.

Joseph Henry was able to overcome this limitation through three insights. The early form of the electromagnet, invented by William Sturgeon in the mid-1820's, consisted of loosely wrapped bare copper wire around thick iron wire bent into the shape of a horseshoe. Because the wire was not insulated, only a few feet of wire could be wrapped around the iron before short circuits would develop. Henry painstakingly insulated the wire with silk, enabling him to wrap many layers of copper wire on the iron, resulting in a much more powerful electromagnet. His next insight was to replace the long coil of insulated wire with a series of shorter coils. He found that connecting the coils in parallel (which he called a "quantity magnet") enabled great lifting power at a short distance, but connecting the coils in series (which he called an "intensity magnet") produced a small amount of power at a great distance. By 1831, using an intensity magnet, he was able to transmit a current through one and a half miles of wire. His last insight, in 1835, was the development of a relay, using an intensity magnet to control a much larger quantity magnet.

The two different forms of electromagnets and the relay were essential for development of the telegraph. Morse's repeater, which made it possible for signals to travel great distances, was built around a Henry intensity magnet. Morse's recording instrument was dependent upon a Henry quantity magnet. The intensity to quantity relay was adapted by Morse for connecting his local receiving circuit to a long-distance telegraph line. The significance of Henry's insights to Morse's invention are evident by comparing the Morse telegraph before and after Morse was aware of Henry's work. In 1836, the Morse telegraph was able to transmit a signal only forty feet. After incorporating Henry's first two insights, at the advice of his friend Leonard Gale, a chemistry professor, Morse was able to send messages through ten miles of wire.

Henry's contribution to the most significant invention in communications history in the nineteenth century, the electromagnetic telegraph, is one of the clearest examples of basic scientific research leading to significant technological innovation. His work also serves as an example of the scientist offering up his discoveries so that others might exploit them for technological innovation and financial reward. Using his positions as secretary of the Smithsonian and president of the National Academy of Sciences, Henry, drawing upon his own experience with the telegraph, became the leading spokesperson for the argument that basic research was essential for technological innovation and economic progress. He claimed that most of the significant inventions of the nineteenth century were the result of the application of scientific principles. Because of their contributions, scientists who discovered the fundamental principles were just as worthy of appreciation as the inventors who reduced ideas to practice and created the machine. Basic research was essential to the well-being of American society, not a luxury, and, he argued, should receive public support.

Henry was the first American scientist to make the case that scientific insights led to inventions, a case that was remade by the industrial research laboratories of the early twentieth century and by weapons researchers after World War II.

Free term papers are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can use our professional writing services to buy a custom written research paper, term paper, or essay on Technology at affordable price. CustomTermPapers is the best solution for those who seek help in writing term papers, essays, and research papers related to Technology and other relevant topics.