Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-02-02
IN COLD WEATHER
THEY STUDY HEAT
Nature Glasses at State Normal
Show How to Read Science
In Winter.
SUNSHINE AS ENERGY.
Familiar Facts That Seem Wonderful
When Their Causes Are
Asccrtaincd.

n nature study. what shall we
teach in the schools from December
to March? Within range of easy OBJ
seryation thcre are no plants grow
ing, no weeds in the fields. no leaves
ON the trees, no birds except spar
rows, few animals except those do
mesticated. What. then. is the most
obtrusive and lnsstent feature of ma
ture at this time? Various answers
- this question were given by normal
students at the state university. One
said the weather; another, the cold
weather: third. the snow and the
storms: a fourth. heating and Ven-
tilation; a nth, clothing and the
housing of animals; sixth. the heat
of the sun; seventh. coal and fuel;
and an eighth. the starry heavens.
If we are to consider at TINS uHe
that aspect OF nature which impresses
us most these spontaneous responses
indicate that we should investigate
the subject OF heat, especially the
heat of the sun, and such other topics
rs naturally relate to this center and
source of all heat, light, life and
motion upon the earth.
WHERE TO BEGIN.
Sir Henry Ball begins series of
lessons on this subject by calling at
tention to the familiar fact that the
nearer we are to the source OF heat,
say to the fire on the hearth. the hot
ter it is. We may take an imaginary
journey to the sun. carrying in our
hands n wax candle, leaden bullet,
Il penny, poker, and piece of hint
Then, supposing ourselves able TO
endure any degree of heat IN our
journey towards the light of the
WORLD what will happen to the ma
terials we have agreed to take with
us? The wax candle will soon begin
TO melt from the increasing heat. Be-
fore long, as we get nearer to the
source OF heat. the leaden bullet,
which has been growing hotter and
hotter. will also melt and flow from
our grasp, just as the candle did.
The penny is only hot. and has not
melted yet, for we are still far from
the sun; but It finally gets red-hot
as we pursue our journey, till II
melts into liquid, while tho poker
already red hot, begins to turn white
as we come nearer to the great hre
When IL becomes so brilliant In It's
Wilderness that we can no longer bear
to look at 1t, the iron poker follows
the example of the other materials,
and only the flint. glowing with the
same fervor. remains unmelted. FINAL
~ 1t yields also and becomes ~ liquid
from the Intensity of the heat Yet
we are far, far from the surface OF
the great globe of fire toward which
we started 1t is now hot enough
to melt flint: but at the suns surface.
scientists tell us. the heat Is many
times greater than that necessarily to
melt the hardest rock. Since, how
ever, no ope has ever taken such
journey as we have imagined. how
do wa Know that the heat of tho sun
WIN be sufficient to melt all known
before they even arrive
at Its surface? Let us see.
HOW THIS is PROVED.
Take burning or reading glass
or an ordinary lens and let the sun
shine through 1t at midday. Hold
one hand at the brightest spot, or
focus OF the lens: 1t gets hot, ON a
summer day the focus viii give heat
enough to set fire to fine paper or
wood cinders. and viii readily ig
mite matches. Why does the lens
have this power? 1t collects the rays
of sunlight and brings them to a
point focus). Each ray contributes
a little light and heat; and the sum