The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep content. No consensus on merge. Flowerparty^☀ 06:34, 12 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Leyden ball[edit]

Leyden ball (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) (delete) – (View log)

Unnotable element of a greater work of fiction, browing google books and google news turns up nothing, any material turned up at all might be better off as part of a legacy or reception section of the parent work. Kung Fu Man (talk) 05:26, 4 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Strong keep: The subject is serious even if it is a stub, and is not covered in any other Wikipedia article. I could find no reference to it on "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea". The concept is ancillary to "Leyden jars, which should not be deleted either. --HarryZilber (talk) 07:43, 4 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Delete A Leyden jar is a real device that stores static electricity. The Leyden ball is a minor trivial element in a work of fiction. Its not crucial to understanding the book. See WP:FICT - Mgm|^(talk) 09:33, 4 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • FWIW: although a science fiction element, Leyden ball bullets represent a future possible law enforcement device similar to Tasers or beanbag shells; it would be beneficial to researchers to view the concept. Although only two sentences, the concept is novel and notable in its own right unlike some other fictional science-fiction weapons such as Shrink ray rifles. --HarryZilber (talk) 21:22, 8 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Note: This debate has been included in the list of Fictional elements-related deletion discussions. -- Fabrictramp | talk to me 14:45, 4 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
• Merge to 20kLUtS per WP:NNC. The novel is clearly notable and older, hence there's a reasonably good chance that non-Googlable sources comment on the concept. Thus, merge, with no prejudice against splitting out if there's a source or two that mentions this specific device in a literary context. Jclemens (talk) 18:54, 4 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
• Delete as trivial element in the novel. At best, a single sentence might be included in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea#Allusions/references to actual history, geography, and current science, but I can't at the moment see where such a sentence might fit. Deor (talk) 00:39, 5 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep or merge. What we have now can go into Leyden jar; it is already alluded to there. But, a site called Technovelgy has noted the similarity between the Leyden ball and some modern non-lethal weapons, see [1][2][3][4][5]. The Arlington Heights Daily Herald also has an article headlined "Search for 'nonlethal weapons' part science and part fiction" that interviews the creator of Technovelgy and says "In Jules Verne's science fiction classic, "20000 Leagues Under the Sea," published in 1875, Captain Nemo uses an electrically charged "Leyden ball"".[6] In that context, a relevant article may be Electroshock weapon#Wireless long-range electric shock weapon. I found another source, but sadly it is satire![7] Fences and windows (talk) 00:39, 7 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • While Leyden balls have interesting similarities to the real weapons described at Electroshock weapon#Wireless long-range electric shock weapon, that article has no Directed-energy weapon#History or Fictional influences section. If a verifiable influence exists, such as Taser being named for Tom Swift, it could be mentioned. Flatscan (talk) 04:37, 10 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Merge (in brief) to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea#Allusions/references to actual history, geography, and current science. Leyden jars were not exactly new at time of publishing, but this seems reasonably on-topic. I am really tempted to say keep, but I think that that impulse is unduly influenced by liking the book. Please do not merge it to Leyden jar. - 2/0 (formerly Eldereft) (cont.) 15:02, 7 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds good to me. Fences and windows (talk) 22:40, 7 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Delete. A minor non-notable plot element. The article is just two quotes from the book. Doctorfluffy (robe and wizard hat) 15:26, 8 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep because it could be either the inspiration for, or just an early prediction of, real world technology. More references should be added for that point. Forget the book it was mentioned in, and focus on the real world issue. Dream Focus 20:02, 10 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.