The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1902-08-14
A MELANGE OF LIVE TOPICS
Penned for Journal Readers
by a Local Scribe.
ANSWERS.

the writer did not mean to imply
that the atmosphere is the. only
means by which sound can be con-
veyed, There are other conduc-
tors of sound generally dense
substances) which transmit the
sound waves more effectually than
does air. Wood is one of these
superior conductors. If the end
of a long wooden rod be placed
against the ear and the other end
scratched by another person the
sound will be distinctly heard
whereas if the rod be removed
from the ear and the scratching is
continued it may not De heard at
all by the person at the other end
of the rod. If two stones be strick-
en- together very gently in the air
the sound may not be heard TWEEN
ty-five feet away, but let the strik-
ing be done under water at the
same distance, and the listener
with his head under the same
water will hear it with rcmarka-
bic distinctness. In both of these
cases sound is produced by the
motion of the atoms or molecules
composing the wood and the water
the wave being transmitted from
atom to atom or from molecule to
molecule.
That sound is caused by waves
is proved beyond the shadow of
doubt from the fact that these
waves have been photographed as
they emanated from the source
which produced them. Different
sounds make different kinds of
waves. There must lie medium
to convey the waves, such as air,
wood, water, etc. This is proved
by the following experiment:
Take clock and adjust it SO that
it will strike necessarily until it
runs down. Start the striking APP
paratus and then place the clock
under the receiver of an air pump.
The striking will continue to be
heard. Now exhaust the all in
the receiver and the sound of the
striking will instantly cease,
though the hammer can still be
seen to strike the gong.
That the nerves and brain really
cause the impression of what we
call sound, the former, through
the ear, transmitting, and the lat
ter receiving and recording the
sound waves, is proved as follows :
Remove the cerebellum of a pigeon
and it will become blind, deaf and
lose its sense of feeling though it's
seeing and hearing apparatus may
be perfect,
In regard to my query of the
week before last, as there have
been no answers thereto l here
with offer my solution. | neglect
ed to state in my proposition that
1T should be taken for granted
that the earth is of uniform den
slty and temperature throughout.
This is not true in fact. The
deeper the earth is penetrated the
hotter it becomes. Life is hardly
or quite possible a mile below the
surface of the earth on account of
the heat. The interior of the
earth is supposed to be in a mol.
ten condition the substance OF
| which is sometimes thrown out
through volcanoes which are moth.
ing but safety valves to let off the
high pressure i'll the interior
Consequently it is is impossible
to bore large or small hole
through the earth. But suppose
the earth is the same throughout
as it is at its surface, and that the
hole is bored at Marietta. L
would come out on the other side
somewhere in China. II the hole
is six inches in diameter it would
not probably contain any air fifty
| feet below the surface. A ball
dropped into this hole would fall
with uniformly accelerated 1e-
locity to the center of gravity of
the earth, through which we have
supposed the hole to pass. HAY
| ing reached the center of gravity
its inertia would carry it with a
uniformly diminishing velocity to
the surface in China. The condi-
tions of its passage beyond the
center of gravity towards China
would be exactly the reverse of
those from Marietta to the center
of gravity, that is, it would travel
the same distance III the last sec
ond of time as it did in the first,
the second last as in the second
first, etc. Going down, the
speed per second would be 16
| feet for the first, AZ for the sec