The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-11

~ of the nature Of the light that pen
etrates objects apaque 10 the eye. Pro
lessor Nicholson has made a theoreti
cal study Of the subject, and though III
has conducted no experiments he Ia!
reached conclusions at variance witt
those of Professor Roentgen, GOVERNS
the character OF the light The exper
imentS will be-made at once, and al
though they will perhaps be of little
popular interest, inasmuch as the pro
fessOr does not expect to continue the
practical application of the discovery
they will be Of great value to the sci
| entific world. The question involved
is: What is the light that penetrateS
! opaque matter?
Professor Roentgen holds that il Is
| neither ordinary rays Of light or ca
| thode rays. But Professor Nicholson
| disagrees and thinks that it is one par
! ticular class of cathode rays.
The source of the Rentgen light, as
has been pretty generally set forth
is the Crooke's or vacuum tube, Jhrro'
which an electric spark is passed,
| causing the glass 10 become flores
cent. From the glass out in the air
these new rays pass in straight lines
and find all substances transparent
| to them. Especially is this true of
! liquids, wood paper, and human tissue
| Metals are not so transparent, alum
| mum being an exception, for the rea son
/ of their density. They impede the
/ rays from the vacuum tube. ALUMNI
mum is one of the lighter metals and is
particularly transparent. The trans
parency is not proportionate to the dem
sity, but in general the heavier the sub
stance the more opaque it is to these
rays.
One of the important things that
Professor Roentgen has determined is
that the rays from a vasuum tube in
passing through a substance go in
straight lines, and are not DETECTED
as ordinary light is by glass or water.
To illustrate this he filled a prism of
mica with various liquids, water being
one, and passed the rays from a Crooke
tube through it. There was no dis
placement of the rays as far as could
be measured, whereas a displacement
OF half inch was to be noticed when
ordinary rays of light were passed
through.
Then he tried to reflect these rays
from the vacuum tube. and found they
would not be reflected. And for the
same reason these rays could not be
concentrated by lenses or mirrors.
The conclusion of Professor Roent-
gen was that they could not be ordina-
~ light rays because they could not be
reflected or refracted. Then he declar-
ed they could not be cathode rays be-
cause cathode rays could not be de-
hected by magnet.
Here IS where Professor Nicholson
differs from the Wurzburg physicist
The latter supposes the rays may be
longitudinal vibrations and the former
declares that if they are vibrations of
any kind they must be waves, and there
fore subject to refraction and reflec-
tiOn. Professor Nicholson says this
is not absolutely certain, the expert
ments not yet having been conducted,
but probable.
The cathode rays, Professor Michel
son says, may vary in the way they are
treated. And principally the amount
OF detection by a magnet varies by the
way the waves are cited. His i'm
preston is that the cathode waves. af-
ter passing through the glass. are sif-
ted of that part of the rays that are
easily DETECTED by magnet
The experiment to decide this point
Will include the measuring of the veioc-
ity of these waves, if possible, and the
determining if the velocity of the ca
thode rays are equal to or greater than
that of the light waves. If the veloci-
ty of the rays from the vacuum tube
is greater than the velocity of ordinary
rays Of light it will be assumed that
the theory of longitudinal vibrations
advanced by Professor ROentgen will
have force, but If, as now assumed by !
Professor Nicholson, the velocity is /
smaller than that Of ordinary light /
waves, then it will be concluded that .
the waves are only a modification of I
one particular class of Cathode rays. /
PROFESSOR Nicholson hazards the op- /
inion that these and cathode rays may /
be vortecs in the ether projected from
and if this is the case then 1
the effect of particles of ordinary mat I
ter will be TO gradually diminish their /
energy, and in proportion TO the am /
cunt of matter.
Professor Nicholson has made a spec
i'll study of light and achieved notable
at Paris in fixing new stan 1
dard of meas urement in the length Of
a wave Of light
Washington. Feb. S.-The first infor-
nation OF an official nature 10 reach |
the United States government touch
ing the remarks Die properties of the
atneric waves of ROsntgen is con tanned
IN the following report 10 the state
department. from United States Consul
General De Kay az Berlin
Il have the honor 10 report a discov-
ary which may profoundly affect sur
5ery and medicine n the way OF dag
losing rumOrs. protu berances in bones
and foreign matter in them, as well as
bullets Or other substances in the bod
s OF men or animals. Il is likely
hat the discovery VIII enable US in
Tine % examine the interior OF tools,
machinery and other objects OF wood
and metal. 50 as to guard against dan
ger through flaws or errors in casting
It IS the discovery Of a property o.
certain rays emanating from the cleo
nc light when produced in receivers /
rom which the aid has been exhausted
The discoverer = a professor n the
University OF Wurzburg. a Hollander
~ birth and a Swiss BY educa ton. who
has Devoted his life 70 experiments On
air, light and electricity his name
; Wilhelm Conrad Roen tgea. L IS ZOO
,ariytO more than outline the results
lnd prospects OF the discover L
night b. suggested that the war and
lavy departments should examine into
he matter
Ann Arbor Mich. Feb S.-Bsfore Ire
'hys.cS classes yesterday Professor Car
lart and Professor Reed performed The
eat OF Photograph through heavy
dashboard box and several sheets q
,aper by means OF Rosntgen cathode /
avs The current which passed thru
he primary amounted 10 only : amp
res, while N the Harvard experiment
he current amounted % fully fifteen
mPeres- The experiment Il the pres
n instance was continued only about
fly minutes, while rhe one a. Ear-