Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1909-07-16
HOW THE WIRELESS WORKS.


DTOp Il stone lntO tne surface OF q
lake At rr>t. Circular waves viii
expand in every direction on tn,
plane or flat surface. If IA similar
disturbance could be made in air The
waves would traverse every dircc-
ton and the complete wavr-front Al
the limit would be a sphere. Any
light object on the water or sus
pended in the air would move Slight
Is.
Suppose we fire revolver in still
air. a disturbance would be set up
and waves started that would be
translated into sound by a distant
tympanic membrane in the air. Fir
ing rifles or revolverS SO as to repre-
sent dots and dashes in the waves
thus established would not work. Sc
they fire the giant force electricity
across a narrow air-gap between
Val b'H l"ititS. liz tAtCltlCItN
stepped up to very high pressure
voltage in the carbOnS. Finally tn,
pent-up force becomes so great tha'
it breaks the resistance of the al
most non-conducting air and rushe:
across the other. carbon with i'm
mense speed.
This disruption of the air starts ;
wave as does stone falling in waite
or the discharge of gun in air But
the OutburSt of electricity is many
thousands OF times more powerful
than either. The sharp sound
heard by those near a wireless tele
graphic transmitter have nothing t,
do with the message. They ar
sounds due to air-waves. But
wireless telegram could be sen
through space devoid of air, for tn
waves are electromagnetic, no
aerial. They move in ether, sup
posed to fill the space and all matter
Many devices have been made to sc
cure sparks through air-gaps. Con
densers of electricity have been EN-
ployed at high pressure. Dynamo
giving rise TO different wave-length
are in daily use, also. at lower press
ures. Wave characteristics are mod
flied in a number OF ways, and als'
methods of receiving. Waves O
electricity can be set up whose
lengths vary between an inch an(
as much as thousand miles. Their,
is an incredible number of length!
in between these, so telegrapher.
will have little trouble in selecting
any length and making sending ano
receiving instruments in tune a.
agreed upon. Suppose these would
be tuned to wave-lcngth of 10'
feet; then others with instrument I.
attuned to 30 or 10 feet could no
cut the others message out of space
and hear what was being sent.
The electricity, from whatever
source, is turned into and cut on,
of the sending apparatus by an or
dinary telegraphic key, which make.
and breaks the circuit.
Suppose it is desired to typewrit'
a telegram as received. Then tn,
power is not sent on the magnetic
waves from the sending station
This would require enormous sup
plies of electricity. Waves are sen
as usual; these are received by deli
cate mechanism wholly unable tt
print anything. But sensitive ap
paratus receives the incoming waves
turns on power from local sources
and this actuates the printing de
vices. The circumference of th'
Earth at the equator is "a. 1913 miles
In order to telegraph around th'
world it would be necessary to sent
through not more than half of thi.
distance from nation to nation. Ant
no doubt exists but that it will b.
accomplished. Wireless telegraphy
is one of the most impressive con
quests OF nature ever made by man