The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-02

Interesting Experiments at the
Rooms ofIthe Scientific ASsocia-
tlon. 4. 80
On Saturday evening there was q
gathering OF the rooms Of the Wheeling
Scientific Association TO witness some OK.
periments which we're tobe made in Il
llstration Of certain laws Of sound. Most
Of our readers are aware that sound d
simply 0 sensation produced In the mind
BY the conclusion upon the tympanum
or drum Of the ear, Of waves of air which
have been set in motion by some vlbtat-
Ing body. Whenever these vibrations
strike the ear so rapidly that their impact
produces q continuous sensation, the re-
suit "a interpreted TO the mind as a
musical note, but when they succeed
each other 80 slowly as to DO Severally
distinguished, the effect 10 termed noise
The first experiment tried was to show
that without cir or some other conduct
ing medium there can be no sound ant
was as follows: An alarm bell was placed
under glass receiver with its hammer
In juxtaposidon with o temporary mag
net 80 arranged that by connecting The
poles Of Q battery, with which II was Ii
contact, the electrical current thus created
caused the magnet TO attract the hammer
Upon breaking the circuit the released
hammer would strike the bell, and thi!
could be regularly repeated by reforming
and again breaking the circuit. The oil
was then withdrawn from the receiver
with an air pump, and the strokes of tht
BELL at first plainly heard, became ieeblel
and ieeblcr until they were no Longer
audible. ., +.
Aglass tube about six feet long by loul
inches in diameter which had one end
drawn outfunnel.like to a point, was sus-
pended horizontally over q table with {
lighted candle at the pointed end. TIT
object Of. this was stated to be an illnstra
ton Of the fact that sound isproduced By
series ofpulsations 81 air, andnot by d con
ftlnuous forward movement. The tubew
then partly filed with smoke and a lout
noise made OF its opened end, when thu
flame was nearly extinguished by tn,
vibration, although the position Of tn
smoke In the tube was unchanged.
To show that waves OF sound can be
reflected, a watch was hung in the iocu
Of concsve mirror, and an ear tube wa
placed in the focus Of q similar mirror
which stood opposite the first, at such
distance that no sounds oil watch coulC
possibly be heard, but upon applying tn
ear to the tube its ticking was distinctl!
audible. nsss
The next experiment was a very salts
factory one. A music box was wount
up and placed in 9 wooden box tittet
with 1Radding to deaden the sound. 4
wooden wand some ten feet long was thel
introduced through a hole in TIL
top Of the box, and allowed to rest upor
the music box underneath. A guital
was placed on top Of the wooden rod
when the music which had been com
pletely smothered by the wadding, brokl
out in fresh gush Of melody, as though
1t had been suddenly reproduced. Thil
was repeated again and sgain, the expert
ment being designed to show the conduct
ing power Of solids as media in trans
hitting sound.
A very long slender fame was mex
produced by forcing Jet Of hydrogen
gas through a finely perforated glass
burner and then lighting it. This was sc
sensitive to sound that 1t kept time with
the playing OF the music box, signifying
its sympathy with the sound by violent
jerks, and when a bunch Of keys was rat.
tied 1t went into temporary commissions