Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-01-29
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

erator-Speaking Moving Pictures
A Radium Indicator-lntensity OF
sunIiaRt-The Brain Under Electric
ity-Where the Air Is Hydrogen.
Condensed into a few words, these
are the Modern Views Of Matter as
expounded by Sir Oliver Lodge. Elec-
tricity Is a substance, the only KIND
of substance, and all matter Is merely
an accumulation Of electric charges.
It appears probable that these charges
are all of exactly the same amount al
though some are positive and some
negative, and that the ATOMS of the
chemical elements are formed by vary
ing numbers and arrangements OF
these charges, or electrons. There are
about 700 electrons, $50 positive ana
$50 negative, in the hydrogen atom
which has been so long regarded as
the final and indivisible unit Of mat
ter; there must be about sixteen times
as many in an oxygen atom, and about
255 times as many, say 100000, In a
radium atom, the heaviest known.
The land surface of the globe covers
s.. 900 900 square miles, and the water
surface 144,700.000. Taking the aver
age pore space of the surface rocks
occupied by moisture at 10 per cent, .
Slichter Of the U. S. geological survey
estimates the amount Of ground water
which reaches a depth Of six miles
at 565,OOO million cubic yards. This is
thought to be about one-third the
amount of oceanic water, and would
cover the globe to depth OF 3,Oeo OF
$500 feet.
Radium constantly generates heat
and Wien has now shown that 1t may
constantly generate electricity. IL
gives off both positive and negative
electrons, and the former-several num-
dred times as large as the latter-may
:, be held back by a sieve Of glass OF
any other Of variety Of substances
Galton affirms that heredity Is one
half derived from parents, one-fourtn
from grandparents, one-eight from
great-grandparents.
An apparently simple idea upon
which recent inventors have toiled Is
that Of moving pictures that can speak
The words and other sounds are easily
recorded by the phonograph and moV-
ing objects are pictured by the cine
matoeraph, but 1t has seemed well-nigf
impossible to make the two kinds o1
apparatus perform their work IN ex-
actly the same time. It is claimed tha'
the difficulty Is at last overcome py tne
"chronophone" Of Gaumont and De-
Caux. two French inventors. The
cinematograph needs considerable
power while the phonograph requires
uniform speed, but perfect synchron-
ism has been secured by operating
the moving picture machine by a mo-
tor receiving electric current through
the phonograph shaft and automatical-
" regulated by the turns Of the latter
Edison's early dream of mechanlca
reproduction of operas and plays seems
destined to be realized.
Suggestive at least are the conclu-
sions of Hon. R. ]. Strut of Bath
Eng. Helium-which Sir William Ram
sew has found to be slowly given on
by .radium-exists in the gases OF the
city's largest hot mineral springs, ano
a test Of the deposit in the spring nas
revealed a small proportion OF radium
It is believed that these substances are
brought up from large deposit o.
radium deep in the earth.
By an ingenious arrangement, en-
Fabry has diminished the suns ligh'
by passage through a slit and ther
through an ammoniacal solution o.
copper sulphate, and has compared Il
with a light Of known candle-poWer
He concludes that, with the sun a
zenith, the solar light at sea-level Is
more than 100000 times that OF
standard candle at distance OF one
meter. The intensity Of light at the
suns surface is about ten times a.
great for the same area as that IN the
electric arc.
Paper car-wheels, made by pressure
from rye-straw paper, are usually II
condition for second set Of steel tires
after the first set is worn out by rur
of 100000 miles.
i Brain substance, Won Ziemssen has
shown, Is the best conductor of elec-
tricity In the body-about 5000 times
more conducting than muscle. Investi'
eating the action Of the current, >
Leduc concludes that electricity ,ls
avoided in the treatment Of brain dis
ease on account Of an exaggerated no.
ton of the dangers, but that wher
properly applied, from back to front
the currents are not only harmless but
beneficial. When continuous current
is passed from ear to ear the effect Is
different, giddiness being produced
with an apparent whirling round of al
objects. Sleep may be produced, ano
for this the best arrangement Is cur
rent of milliamperes at 80 volts, IN
terrupted 100 times per second fol
nine -tenths of the period Of Interrupt
ton. Speech disappears first, then the
motor faculties. Respiration and pulse
are unaffected, but may be temporarily
or finally stopped by a more powerful
current. Awakening is instantaneous
the after effect being one of refresh
ment.
The atmosphere near sea-level Is
found by Prof. Hahn to have this
lcomposition: nitrogen IS per cent;
oxygen, 21; argon, .09; carbonic acid