The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-12-15
Correspondence Baltimore County linton
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Height and -Whistling Drops
Progress in Dynamos- Keeping the
Auto Busy-Snail Smell-A Telescope
Eye-Sugar for New Uses-The Electric
table Balloon Gas.
The rule was worked out by Paul Broca that a
grown mans weight should correspond with the
number Of centimeters in his stature. Testing
this formula by data from 1853 soldiers accep-
ted for the service, German Psychologist has
shown that it holds good for little men-those
ranging In height from 154 to 150 centlmeters-
but that in men of the average height of ia cen
timeters Is feet sK inches) the body weight is
under this standard, and that the divergence in
creases with greater height. Weightin the army
is largely influenced by previous occupation.
Men coming from sedentary work-clerks, sad
dlers. tailors, etc.-gain rapidly, while over-fed
confectioners. bakers, butchers and brewers lose
as quickly,
The whistling tube of 7. Terada, Japanese
physicist, is of glass with an internal diameter
of one-ffth Of an inch, and one end is drawn out
to capillary point. while the other is connected
to weighted air-bag. When the nozzle is wet
with water. olive oil or other liquid and then
blown through, a musical note of definite pitch
Is produced, varying with the size of the nozzle
and the quantity and nature of the liquid. The
bubble of liquid opens and the note is due to the
vibration of its edges. With magnetic liquid,
like iron chloride. the neighborhood Of mag
netic field raises or lowers the pitch.
s$s
In two decades the capacity Of electric gener-
ators has increased more than a hundred-fold,
former efficiency. The largest generator Of
twenty years ago was the 100 kiIowatt dynamo.
belted to 150 horsepower engine. but dynamos
now being built have maximum capacity Of
1900 kilowatts.
The motor-car of Paris firm is designed to
light the country residence Of It's owner or do
other work in its hours of rest from travel. The
car is immovably braked on two fixed rails placed
in the auto house. the detachable crank provided
is removed from the two-cyinder gasoline mo-
tor, and by means of a shaft with two universal
joints the motor is connected with the dynamo
or other machine to be driven. While this ar
rangement promises to be especially useful for
furnishing electric light away from the usual
power stations. it may prove a great convent
ence for driving pumps, wood saws or other do
mestic apparatus.
The strong sense of smell attributed to the
common snail has been found by Prof. E. Yung'
of Geneva, to be distributed over the entire
body not covered by the shell, the two pairs of
tentacles, the lips and the edges of the feet be
ing particularly sensitive. In the experiments
made, brush dipped In various odorous sub
stances in turn was brought near the different
parts of the body. and responses were noted at
distances of one twenty-flfth of an inch to sew
era inches. Only in exceptional cases was odor
perceived as much as Is or 20 inches away, show
ing that smell cannot guide these creatures to
food far removed.
A popularity of the eyeball of the mole is that
1t can be projected forward several times its
own diameter beyond the orbit and retracted in
like manner. DR.. Lindsay johnson notes that
this is necessary for VISION as the animals dense
fur so covers the eye that the making of an
opening is the only way to see.
~
Inventive effort should be turned into new
path by the $4,000 prize of French manufacture
ers for a new application of sugar in the indus
tries, other than the food industry. The award
is to be made after the French consumption of
sugar is increased at least 100000 tons year.
-.
In his new safety incandescent electric lamp,
DR.. D. Tomassi of Paris. has sought to minimize
the risk of fire or explosion by the use of dou-
BILE globe, with provision for extinguishing the
light in case either of the glass coverings is
broken. A switch in the outer globe is arranged
close the circuit. lighting the lamp, when sub
jected to air pressure. The lamp is lighted by
forcing in air. and if the outer globe is acciden-
tally broken the reduction in pressure will
the light to go out before the inner globe is dam
aged. If the inner globe breaks, the air in the
outer globe will be similarly reduced in pres
sure opening the switch and putting out the
light. The lamp is expected to prove of special
value in dangerous mines. in powder magazines
and in other places exposed to risk of explosion.
~
The assertion thst,the rare earth metals of the
-iReaRdescent gas-mantle emit sparks on being
scratched with file has been investigated by
Baron Won welsbach. He finds that the sparks
are produced only when the rare metals are al
Logged with 30 per cent. of iron, and he proposes
to apply this property of the alloy to the auto
matte lighting of gas. As the gas is turned on a
file gently rubs the alloy, producing brilliant
shower of sparks, which Immediately ignites the
gas.
srs
'Hydrolithe' is a new compound Of calcium
and hydrogen. 1t gives off its hydrogen when
immersed in water, as calcium carbide evolves
acetylene, and NJ. George Jaubert, a French en-
gineer. urges that the new material be adopted
as convenient means for carrying gas to initiate
military balloons.
new Rutta percha, that Of Herr Gentsch, Of
Vienna, is obtained from a mixture of caout-
chouc and palm resin. 1t is claimed to have an
elastic resistance superior to the natural pro-
Duct and to cost only two thirds as much.