Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-23
Vanishing Resistance
by EDGAR LUCrEN LARKIN.

The man of master mind, Michael
Faraday, more than seventy years ago
looked forward to great day and
"trembled" This eventful day IL the
day when man should experience one of
the most remarkable entities In nature
the absolute zero OF temperature, the
total absence Of heat an appalling state
OF matter, 27S degrees c., or SCI r., be-
low ordinary zero. And were Faraday
alive now he would stand In awe before
that very nature he so fervently loved.
Finite man--no, lei me here say once and
for all, infinite man-has now actually
reached this long-sought wonderful point,
state or condition OF matter to within IN
degrees G.
Wonders never cease. Entirely new
conceptions OF matter and electricity
may now be- formulated. From a num-
Der of methods OF research Il becomes
daily more and more apparent that
nothing exists save two magnificent en-
tities-mind and electrons When all the
matter now In the sidereal universe ex-
listed as electrons, state where no mat
ter then existed, the absolute tempera-
ture relgned In supreme and regal
majesty. But from recent researches Il
appears that when absolute cold held
sway electricity encountered no resist
ance-at least IN pure metals. The most
vivid imagination cannot think OF a
universe In which the titanic force, cleo
triclty r. unable to appear as heat and
light, for Il cannot until It is resisted.
Then electricity in It's natural state Is
always without temperature. Carbon
and tungsten filaments In all incandescent
light bulbs offer resistance to the flow Of
electricity and become so very hot that
they emit bright light. liquid helium Is
colder than solid hydrogen. Chemically
pure gold wire was placed in this frigid
liquid helium-a gas made into a dense
liquid by subtraction OF its temperature.
Resistance offered by gold disappeared
all the electricity passed through the
wire. Liquid uicksilver--mercury at its
normal density OF our ordinary zero or 10
degrees c. Of F.-employed In the sx-
periments offered a resistance 90 a cur
rent OF electricity of 1725 ohms Then
the mercury was frozen 10 a rigid solid
when resistance dropped TO 1917 ohms.
Then the temperature OF the mercury
was lowered to within 48 degrees of the
absolute and the resistance went down
to .OS4 ohm. Would that Faraday had
never died-that no might have seen what
followed The temperature was lowered
to 3 degrees and then even down 70
within III degrees Of that most wonder
ful point, absolute cold. The resistance
ran to what is practically zero OF nothing
only 5000. 900, 900 900. OOOths OF one ohm.
This resistance OF matter is what We
call a flow Of current; but electricity Is
GRANULAR C.. consists OF electrons or
separate particles Then since nothing
exists but these electrons the gold and
mercury are themselves at the base cleo
irons For electrons form atoms, cor
puscles, molecules OF elements, and these
unite into compounds, and these build
structural matter-the stellar universe
and all Il includes. All matter known 70
chemists contains electricity. One may
say "of course" II nothing exists but cleo
irons. But they can be, and a vast
majority are, In a state OF naturalization
under the familiar but totally unknown
senses positive" and negative" Then
the human senses are unable TO detect
the presence OF this formidable force.
But here the impressive word "nasceny"
comes in. Nascent electrons at once be-
come sensible and they can Instantly
destroy our lives and tear apart all OF