The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-21
SCIENCE.
THE FOURTH DIMENSION


sion. In II the author examines what would
be the general character Of the motion Of
bodies In four -dimen sional space The most
interesting feature of this line Of inquiry Is
the possibility that 10 pointed out Of construct
ing representations Of the phenomena OF
electro ma gnetism by means Of vortex mo-
tions In four.fold space. Thus. a vortex with
a surface as its a xis an ords a geometric image
Of a closed circuit and there are rotations
which by their polarity AFFORD a possible
definition of static electricity. A reviewer
in Nature asks: Has IL occurred TO the author
that the property that electricity which Is
free to move In a conductor assumes a super
ficial distribution may enable US to form
conception of matter in four -dimensional
space assuming thr"e-dimensionai distri-
APPARENT ROTATION OF TIM BRIGHTER WITH
RESPECT TO THE FAINTER FIXED STARS.
Sir David Gill, his Majesty's Astronomer at
the Cape. has recently examined the question
whether the brighter fxed stars, as a whole.
are In motion with respect to the fainter stars.
as a whole. and comes to the conclusion that
thew do so move. His method depends upon
a comparison of extensive star catalogues and
his results are borne out by the figures. II
the brighter stars are. on the whole. nearer to
the case-and IL all the stars are IN motion
somewhat as the different particles OF water
in whirlpool move we should expect just
observation.
VALUE or WEATHER WARNINGS.
The last report OF the Chief of the United
States Weather Bureau in Washin gton gives
a striking illustration Of the practical value
OF the weather reports OF that service. On
Feb. %. 1901. the following special warning
was photographed from Washin gton to Jackson
vile. Fla. with instructions to give it the
widest possible distribution throughout the
state, Temperature will fall tonight to a
m iEl AN l.ANN md
Jacksonville. and to freezing a. far south az
"a Tampa, with frost extending somewhat
south Of the latitude Of Jupiter d Inlet Thi.
perature at 1smpa was 20 degrees. More
Orchardists estimated the value of orange
bloom. veeet abes, stra wberries. dc. known
TO have been saved In consequence at more
than 500 900 This Is one case among many
OF the sort
ATOMIC WEIGHS.
When the atomic weights OF the chemical
elements are referred to oxygen TO- they
can be expressed. approximately. in whole
numbers. The same IL not the case when
they are referred to hydroesn.,i. 1t is.
however. only when certain OF the atomic
weights are referred 10 entirely different
standards that the most striking relat ionshipS
es nnd OF Of .hT a' sra OF ne
stance. exactly as below. Chlorine Brominp :
;% s,td Hd ms,as s iSs si as The case
N
Rb-7 ~ 20 ~ 81. Again. We have
V; Or Mn Fe Nj ca IN 81 5s IS 20
o. 81 SO.
INDIAN SUMNER
An elaborate dissertation on the origin
and use of the term Indian summer l. printed
by Mr. Albert Matthews in the Monthiy
Weather Rerier From a careful study of
American and English literature he con-
cludes that the term frat made its appear
ance in the last decade of the eighteenth CEN
fury During the next decade the phrase
was second summer" This indicates that
the spell Of weather known by this name
was not generally noticed much before 1900
The term Indian summer beca me esta blished
about twent" years after its first appearance
which was in western Pennsylvania and
spread to New Engla nd by i7ss to New York
BY by e Canada 9sr BY ss and md, to ENGLAND
On nism; to write in praise OF Indian summer
ia now a literary convention o! three CONT
nents
II is by no means easy to account for the
origin of the term The principal character
istics OF the season which it. describes are
haziness, smokiness and high temperature
Some explanation OF the origin Of the term
are, a. that the red Indians predicted such
produced by Indian ares; Is, that this was
the last season Of indian attac on the settle
ments Of the whites; ~ that the season par
took of the Indian character Of deceptivene3s (:
~ that the nain. was given beoa Use one of
the seasons Of East India was, similar in
nuTUCteT WuIVOle USED the term
in i77s, not in reference, to America, but in
relation TO weather in the tropics "Squaw
winter was name for the spell of cold
weather preceding the Indian summer. and
perhaps the key to the nomenclature is 10
he sought in this latter term
TIRE INTERNATIONAL DATE-LiSE
The main course Of the line at which dates
change In the Pacific is correctly marked on
every good map. There is, however. con.
siderable dificulty in determining whether
~ .lus. rtt - L.
islands is counted like the dates to the enst.
ward or like those to the westward The
following Paragraphs are an abstract Of a
States photographic ONCE.
Ma gellan approached the Philippines from
the eastward and up I o isii the American date
Islands was chiefly with Mexico. Celebes
is in the same east longitude as l.uzon- 20
Manila. authorities dropped Dec. 81 isi4.
from the calendar. by order. and named
the day following Dec 30 the ist Of Jan ary.
now prevails throu ut the islands.
Prior to the purchase of Alaska'in 1897 the
Asiatic date was adopted thrcughout the
date ia employed in Alaska. ST. Lawrence
Island, ~ the Aeu,inn Islands, as well as in
SAMOAN group. The change in Samoa was
made July I. 1892. The Asiatic date .-one day
earlier than the American: that il the first Of
prevails in siberia, kanchntka, Copper
Island, Komandor-ki Island Marshall, Gil
bert Ellice and Fiji Islands, New Zealand
aud Chatham Island. Most vessels chan 9e
their dates NJ 1907 from Green wich. but the
French make the chnnge M 1907 from Paris
ar 40 West of Greenwich. and the Spanish
at 1907 from san Fernando U73' ~ Esst).
THE THEORY OF THE GAS MANTLE
The nigh luminosity of the gas mantle
and it's still more remarkab bic dependence
on q particular composition are facts calling
for some special explanation. One OF the
simplest hypothesis is that which regards
the mantle's luminosity as an ordinary high
temperature effect We may quote MIR. j
Swinburne's views from the journal OF the
Institute Of Electrical Engineers ivol. az
in this regard He will have nothing to do
with selective smi,svity but considers that
all solid bodies at the same temperature
give out light OF the same color. The Bunsen
flame he argues, in which the mantle Ia i'm.
mprsed. IL extremely hot, and the ma ntle' :
luminosity Ia due To its attaining, very nearly
| this HI gh temperature. bad radia tor-suCh
as thoria-will reach the SINE temperature
"a the fame, but az IL radiates so little energy
II will give but little light; what light IT does
give will, however. be OF high luminous efr
will radate energy so fast that IL will not al =
tain anything like the temperature of the
fame II Is, therefore. only necessary to add
sufficient ccria to the thoria to increase the
| emssyity enough TO get u good quantity
| OF radiated energy. but not enough 10 lower
| the temperature unduly, in order to obtain
q composition giving a brilliantly lumi nous