Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-08-31


sss, formerly 81 virEisia ctsy,
new Essixs, United ststss Navy,
Aanapslis, Marytaad.
The Importance to the scientific world
Of determining accurately the velocity
Of light cannot we'll be overestimated.
Men Of all countries are therefore inter.
sstsd In every experiment tending to
the desired result. We Of this section
take an increased interest In them be-
cause just at the present time n Of
"Our Boys Is leading the whole world
Of savans In this particular direction.
wo ailuds to Albert A. Nicholson. for.
msrly Of Virginia City. now Ensign.
United States Navy. Annapolis. Mary
land.
Running over the st. Louis papers OF
Friday. August 23d. we find accounts Of
Q meeting Of the American Association
for the Advancement Of Science. In
the records OF proceedings as given by
the 81. Louis Republican. we find the fol.
lowing
"Aibert A. Nicholson. Ensign. U. s.
Navy, read o paper On Experimental
Determination Of the Velocity OF Light
which the association regarded as q very
hns production. Il was illustrated by
diagrams upon the blackboard. Prof.
Nswcomb OF the United States 0bssrva-
tory at Washington and lats President
OF the Association. made some flattsring
comments on II before the meeting and
Mr.. Nicholson replied by stating that he
was under great obligations to Prof.
Newcomb for suggestions"
In commenting on this paper the 50.
Louis Daily Globe. Dsmocrut says;
This paper was considered o OF the
most important before the section. but
Il 10 impossible to present n proper IDEA
Of II without the diagrams accompany
ing Il. But three scientists. Foucault.
Fitzsau and, o recently. Cornu, Mr.
Michselson said. have sought TO ascer-
tain the exact velocity Of light expert.
mentally. Foucault used tho method
known Il that Of 'wheatstone's Rovoly-
ing Mirror the application OF which
Was frat suggested BY Avago. Fiizsau
and Cornu both used another method
known - that OF the 'toothed wheel In
F~oucault's experiments the distance
trsverssd by the light was twenty meters.
The result obtained vas 1876. 200 miles
Der second. Cornu's stations were II
miles apart. The result obtained by
him was 186, 600 miles. which exceeds
the former by l.40O miles. The objec'
ton 10 Foucnult's method Is that the
displacement which enters into the for.
mula 10 very small and therefore dill.
hcult 10 Measure accurately. The objsc.
ton 10 Fitzeau's Ia TINT the time OF total
disappearance Of the light Is necessarily
uncertain. The object Of MIR. Michel.
sons experiments Is 10 increase the dis
placement OF the first method. This
can be done In several ways ~
by increasing the speed Of the
Mirror; a. by increasing the
distance between the two mirrors;
(3.) by increasing the radius oil meas.
msut, l. O., the distance from the re-
volving mirror 10 tho scale. In Fou.
cault's experiments, the speed OF tho
mirror was 400 turns per second; the
radius Of measurement was about one
meter and the distance between the
mirrors was about 10 meters. The dis
placement obtained was about 0.S milli-
metsrs. In Michslson's experiments tho
speed OF the mirror was but $50 turns
per second, but the radius Of measure.
meut was from 10 to 20 feet. and the
distance between the mirrors was about
500 feet. The displacement obtained
varied from 0.3 inch to 0.G3 inch, or
about twenty times that obtained by
Fouoault. With q greater distance be.
tween the mirrors and better apparatus.
be expected to obtain . displacement OF
two or three inches, and 10 measure 1t
TO within l,000th partof IN inch. Tables
Of excavations OF the velocity OF light
In air we're given by Mr.. Michelson. the
mean result being 1866 miles per
second"
contributed $4,000 for the purpose OF
carving out these experiments. The
members OF Section Aof the Association
we're no pleased at the labors OF Mr..
Nicholson that Il was determined to use
all sndsavors 10 get Congress to make
an appropriation TO enable him to make
further experiments.
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CurAPxl THAN SrKALISo.- We UNDER
stand that some parties recently were
Overheard contemplating q robbery OF
ths clothing house Of Reinstein 4 Wolf