The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-05

ball TO ball by virtue of their elasti-
city. When No. l impinges on No.
the impact changes its shape slightly
to that OF spheroid as it resumes its
shape ii imparts the impulse 10 No. 2,
D. which it is impaired 10 No. 3 and
so on through the line. But action and
reaction being equal and opposite, there
| Is no perceptlble movement till the last
| bail Is reached, which swings off since
there rs no ball TO react against il.
The impulse travels. but the line re-
mains stationary.
| Here, also, it Will be perceived there
is a radical force acting at right an
| giles TO the Horizontal force, much the
| same as would result from similar
| impact il each bail were hollow. and
| its surface composed of an infinite
| number Of semi-circles, Joined at the
point of impact.
Now the molecules OF a metal rod
may be compared to an infinite num-
Der of these lines of balls; and it may
| be assumed chat heat impulse, or an
electric impulse, given at one end,
moves along these lines in some way
analogous to that in which the impulse
moves along the lines o. balls We
are not obliged to confine ourselves to
any specific method of movement:
Is.
similar to that which takes place in
the slack rope, or on the water, if ic
shall seem to accord best with known
facts and phenomena.
In the polarization of light, it is sup
posed that the waves assume a GER
tain phase, in conformity with the
spec1aI arrangement of the molecules
OF the crystal. Hence if the crystals
are cut from the same block, and
placed in the same position. the phase
viii be he same for each, and the
light Will pass through. But if the |
second IS turned at right angles TO the |
nfst, the phase produced by passing |
through the first viii not be in con-
formity win the arrangement of the
molecules in the second, and hence |
the light cannot pass through
suppose the arrangement of the
molecules to be in layers, or strata,
like me sheets composing a ream of
note paper, placed in vertical posi-
ton; the waves of ether would as
sumo a vertical phase, and, meeting
the second crystal, placed in the same
position, would pass through. But il
the second returned, so as to bring it's
teal waves would be broken and
strata to horizontal position, the YER
could not pass through
instead OF the ether We may sup
pose the molecules themselves thrown
into the waves, whose phase would
conform TO THE structure of the crystal
and the same result would evidently
follow There us no reference, in this !
case. to any visible stratif
cation OF crystal, as the experimental /
'ay is usually admitted at right angles
20 such stratihcatiOn; the reference is
% an Invisible arrangement of the
molecules.
The same course OF reasoning is APP i.
'ilcable to, heat, Or to electricity, but
he phase OF the heat wave, or the cleo
ric wave, may be different from that
II the wave of hight, so that sub
tance Opaque to light as copper,
light allow the free passage of heat n
II electricity; or a substance trans T
'arent 10 light, as glass, might OBJ
truct their passage. And the medium
n which the electric energy travels Il
nay be the ether which is supposed to
,rvade the different kinds of matter
+ the matter itself in any of its va
lous forms, solid, liquid, or gaseous:
$ 1T has been shown that undulations
lay take place in each of them.
Mir. Cross remarks were most atten-
lively listened to. and number Of
ueStionS by mem beTs of the audiencei
'2s followed by a vote of thanks toI
be lecturer. for his able and interest II
lg discourse.