The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-11-09

CuriOStieS Of Science--An interesting paper
might be written by competent hand, respecting
what we may call the "Curiosites " of Science
There are hundreds of facts, familiar to the ex-
plOrer of nature, which would sartIe the ordinary
reader, from their apparent antagOusm TO other
facts. Thus if a blaCkened card is placed upon
snow or ice in The sunshine, the frozen mass UNDER
meath will gradually melt, while that by which it
is surrounded is but htIIe disturbed. If, however,
the suns rays, instead of falling directly on the
card and SNOW, are reflected from metal surface.
an exactly opposite result occurs theeIp)sed paris
are the first TO melt, and the bdrkeued card re-
! mains standing high above the surrounding pOr-
| lion.
Another curious fact is that il bars of copper
zinc, brass and bell metal, are heated and placed
| so as to cool on blocks of lead, tin or pewter, the
bars are thrown into state Of vibration, and pro-
| dlce sounds similar to these of an eoan harp. A
blacksmith will tell you that he press heat out
| of piece of iron by simply beating it with ham,
m4r, until at last he will render it red hot, and be
| able to light a match by it; but he will add, that
| the same piece cannot be made red hot again by
hammerlng, until il has been made red hot in fire.
J and brought back to It's original expanded condi-
| tion. The same principal which is at the bottom
OF this curious fact enables fire to be obtained by
| the friction Of two pieces Of wood.
Even unscentific readers are familiar with the
| fact that ice can b. formed in the hottest summer
day, by chemical means but few are aware that
water can be frozen in vessel which is at a red
! heat Yet this astonishing exp rlm."t has been
h a red hot, and then wat-r and qIid suIphu-
rous acid, which has been preserved III the liquid
state by freezing MIXTURE is poured into the ves-
sell the rapid evaporation of the volatile acid which
enters into ebuLiition at the freezing point pro-
| duces such intense cold that ice is Immediately
formed, and being thrown out, can be used to cool
| water.
The experiments of jugglers have proved to all,
that, under certain conditions, the hand can be i'm
mersed with impunity in melted metal. Little
,1raEt than, to hrp A.
as to give them polished surface, then to plunge
them into a cold solution Of water and sal am
monac, and afterwards to put them into liquid
iron, lead, bronze or other metal, moving them
rapidly through it, though not too rapidly. The
explanation Of this curious fact is this When the
> hand is plunged into melted metal the skin is not
in contact with the metal, and therefore the heat
I incident upon the skin arise only from that
which is radiated from the metal. The moisture ot
the skin passes into the sPherodcal state and re-
fleets the radatng CalOrlC that the heats never
at the boiling point
Heat and light exhibit in part, through transpa-
. rent bodies very remarkable difference. Trans
f parent alum, which is as clear as the cleares
[ water, transmits only twelve per cent OF heat
while rock crystal which is not more lucid, trans
k mls nlnety-seven per cent. OF heat. Black glass
l. allows ninety per cent Of heat to pass through
while green glass, colored by oxide OF cope, anC
n covered with layer of water, will, though per
ectly transparent, almost entirely deprive the sOIa
e ray oil neat On the principle oil different colors
d the whole economy of nature, in reference to tn
d absorption and radiation of heat by the va-iou
8 kinds OF flowers and plants, is carried on. Says
late writer Every tree spreading its green leave
to the sunshine, or exposing its brown branches t
the alr--eVery flower which lends its beauty to tn
e earth' possesses different absorbing and radatin
v powers. The chace-like Gun of the pure VIII
n lily floating on the lake, the variegated tulip ii
le brilliant anemone, the delicate rose, and the il
lie tensely coored peony, or daha, have each powe
to peculiar to themselves for drinking in the warmir
g Ilte-stream OF the sun, and for radating it bat
le again to the thirstng atmosphere" Eiectrici
le also performs an important function in the grow
At Of flowers, MS is popularity known by actual +,
n, Fefimsat. IN 7hqri tle world OF 7rs,,cs is full
NJ ss'!2QE sgts sHa Rs' sttheni ras,sY 9. i,s nv