Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
MECHANISM OF THE RADIOPHONE

made up OF a thin diaphragm of mica or
of some other substance, silvered at Its
back So as to make of 1t a rejecting mirror
The diaphragm is connected with an ordi-
nary speaking tube into which the operator
talks just as exactly as he would talk into
the transmtter of a telephone.
Against this thin disc diaphragm Is
projected a ray of light. preferably sun
light. The light Is caught by mirror and
directed through a concentrating lens
whose focus is the transmitting diaphragm.
The latter in turn reflects the ray through
a. second lens. which again makes the COM
ponents of the ray of light parallel, SO that
it may travel any distance without disper-
sion.
operator Is located there Is a parbolic re-
fiector. at the end of which is fixed a Sc
lenium cell The later in turn Is connected,
telephonically, with the ear. Now when the
ray of light Is reflected from the transmit
ting diaphragm and the operator speaks
into the tube joined with the latter. what
he seys may be clearly and distinctly heard
at the other end of the ''line:'' that Is at
the other end of the travelling ray Of light
And that. practically speaking. is all there
is 10 this wonderful affair.
Light as n Carrier.
The theory upon which this instrument Is
built is that the ray Of light may be i'm
pressed with sound vibrations in exactly
the same way that an electrically charged
wire is impressed with the sound vibra-
lions from the telephone. When you talk
into the latter what takes place is simply
this: The electrical circuit being brought
into connection with the carbon dia-
phragm. against which your voice strikes,
the wire or current Is set in vibration. or
rather the sound vibrations or waves are
impressed upon the electrical vibrations or
waves. just as If you were to start series
of ripples In a pond and then add to these
a second series of a different character
which would follow in the same direction
but net the same line of vibration or wave
motion. This OF course Is putting the mat
the crrdely, but 1t represents the notion Of
the scientific Idea which 1 have got into
my cHn mind. and which hope Is suff1
cier.tly clear to The reader.
1t follows from the process here describ-
3D. that II speaking against the carbon
transmitter will set up such an agitation In
an electrically charged wire. a mechanism
which shall just reverse the action of the
transInitter will reproduce similar set
OF vibrations upon a diaphragm at the
other end of the line and thus reproduce
your speech.
AS the reader Is doubtless aware, all
the trend of modern physical science Is
toward establishing the close relationship
of the different forms of molecular mo-
ton, which, for the purpose of distinction.
and sound. So close, indeed. Is this rela-
tionship that the late Professor Tyndall.
the very highest authority on the subject,
wished to abolish some of these phrases.
notably that OF light" as simply confus-
ing. And the farther science has gone the
more 1t has come to see that the only diff
ference between these varying modes Of
motion, the only difference between light
and heat and electricity and sound. Is the
difference of form and rapidity. 1t has
found that 1t Is not very difficult to con-
vert the one into the other. The CONVEX
sion of heat or electricity into light Is so
familiar and commonplace a process that
We do not wonder at 1t at all. But when
Professor Bell went a step farther and
light into sound, or at least of causing q
wave of light to produce a wave of sound
which is practically tantamount to the
same thing. he entered into a new field
and welded a new link in the chain of re-
htionship and interdependence. You will
see that 1t was but a step farther than this