The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-08-01
THE PIGS IN GLOVER.

Curious Scientific Origin Of a Popular ant.
Amusin. Puzzle.
The ''Pigs in Clover puzzle had a
rather curious scientific origin. A
student in physiological psychology
named Martenfellt, while making
researches in some determinations
of the sensativeness of the tactile
sense under the direction of Helm
holzt, the great German Investigator,
found that the ability to balance a
marble on a perfectly smooth piece of
plate glass depended upon the delicacy
of what is known as the reaction time,
that is, depends upon the quiclzness Or
the nerve current in receiving the i'm
preston that the marble will roll,
sending the impression to the controll-
ing organs in the cerebellum that con-
tract or relax the muscles of the arm,
and the degree of responsiveness in
the nervous end organs of the fingers
which hold the piece of glass. Martens
feldt found that if he placed the marble
in the center of the plate and marked
four or five spots on the edges of the
plate, and then asked the subject with
which he experimental to tip the plate
so that the marble would run across a
particular spot, a considerable time
elapsed before the subject could de-
termine how to tip the plate to make
the marble roll as required. When
Martenfeldt completed the apparatus
and placed rings of pasteboard about
the center of the plate, with holes for
the marble to run through, the average
result of his experiments gave re-
makable psychological law. This was
that the reaction time" depended
upon the size of the circles of PASTE
board which made an impression upon
the field of vision of the re;ina, and
was in direct proportion to the diameter
of the circles expressed in millimeters.
Martenfeldt's experiments developed
the fact that effects of practice and at
tention diminish the psycho-physical
reaction; time and fatigue increases it.
Thus he found that the will time neces-
sary for choice between two motions
was reduced by practice, for three sub
jects of experiment from .O8O second to
.O50, from .O97 second to .O535,
and from .098 second to .O62 respect
lively. For choice among five and ten
possible motions the effect of practice
was yet more marked; thus with five
possible choices. the will time of one
person was reduced by practice from
.239 second to 1888; and of another.
with ten possible choices, from 1858
second to .094. For each single days
series of experiments the time dimin-
ished faster at first than subsequently,
but in many cases more distinctly on
the second than on the first day of ex-
pertinent. The apparatus used by
Martenfeldt for his experiments got on
the market as puzzle in a curious
way. Martenfeldt sent one of his
plates to an American friend, DIR. Her.
mann Meyer, of Philadelphia, and at
the Doctors house a quick-witted
business man of Waverly, N. Y, saw
it. recognized how taking puzzle it
would make if simplified, took out a
patent in February, and put it on the
market Immediately with great suc-
cess.-American Analyst.
"A yacht was recently launched on
the Thames by electrical appliances,
which enabled all the supports to be
re'ne we'd on the pressing Of button,
and the vessel glided into the water
without tho slightest nitoh.