The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1894-09-12
Present Day PHI, sicaI Science.

Ane working theories that have been
followed III physics and thrown away
when they did not square with the facts
| discovered under them are we'll describ-
ed in paper by Professor D. W. Her
ing of the University of the City of New
York in The Popular Science Monthly.
In investigations Of any sort a working
theory must generally first be mapped
out But, like the result of explora-
tions in central Africa, the facts discoy-
cred frequently show the map to have
been dead wrong
Professor Herring calls our attention
to the fact that modern textbooks of
physics, or philosophy, as it used to
be vaguely called, contain no such divi-
Eions of simple mechanical powers
as the ones Of generation ago did
Sound, heat and electricity are merely
forms of energy. The mechanical theory
of heat is fully accepted This is the
theory that heat Is produced by motion
Of the molecules Of a body among them
selves. The more rapid the motion the
greater the heat This motion is called
the "kinetic energy of the molecules. "
All that 10 Is now divided into force
and matter, mutually acting upon each
other. The one central or universal
energy manifests itself in different
ways under different conditions. Thus
variously manifesting itself this uni-
versal energy Is variously known rs
heat, light, sound. electricity, magnet
ism, etc. There is now aecepted also
one universal ether. pervading. all
things Through vibrations, slow or
rapid. of this ether the universal energy
acts 1t is likely that the science Of
vibrations will receive greater attention
In the immediate future than 1t has
ever done The vibrations of uniyer-
sal ether seem TO explain many things.
The question the scientists cannot an
swer as yet Is whether the ether 10 mat
ter.
Light Is caused by vibrations Of the
ether These vibrations are called light
waves. The distance across from the
crest Of one Of the movements TO the
next ID called . wave length, and it Is
BY measuring this distance thas many
wonderful discoveries have been msdA
1t is denoted by length of time between
two vibrationa
When an object Is approaching .
| given point, o greater number of light
waves from it will fall upon that point
As 1t recedes the number will be less
This fact and the spectroscope have en-.
abled scientists to distinguish whether
the heavenly bodies are reoeding from
or approaching one another. It has been
found that the sun and all its planets
earth included. arc moving toward the
| great star Arcturus at the rate Of 4 3-10
miles per second Thus at some very
far distant day the people Of our earth
may experience the sensation Of falling
into star many times greater than
our sun, If at that time there are any
inhabitants left on this little globe.
Nobody knows just what electricity
is II Is such different manifestation
Of energy from anything hitherto known
that the wisest are as sea The problem
Immediately before students is % dis.
cover what causes positive and negative
electric currents Beyond doubt they
viii find out
Meantime in the matter of electric
lighting Tesla has discovered that
vacuum tubes become luminous in q
properly prepared room with no wires I"
Tesla has found that wires are not nec-
essary to conduct electricity. ERE long
intelligence. transmitted without wires.
will throb through the earth like pulse
through living organism. The earth
is one vast storehouse of electric foroe.
and mans next task will be to utilize
it. We know hardly the beginning as
| yet Of the wonders that are to be.
The most wasteful and antiquated
piece Of machinery still employed in
this age OF invention is the steam en-
gine, in Professor Hering's view. 1t is
by tapping the source Of exhaustless
power the earth offers us that we shall
be able to abolish the hot, noisy and
dirty steam engine twill be abolished
when we are able to ''hook our machin-
cry to the machinery Of nature.