Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-09
Power of the Imagination


A MoNG the many phenomena which our fellow
a men present TO us for wonder and instruc-
ton. is curious than the strange
limitation OF the power Of the gnation which seems
10 make many persons unable 20 see, mentally
things which evident to their eyesight This
Is Illustrated by the following question which. sinsu
larry enough, has come almost simultaneously from
places vide apart San Francisco, Chicago and
Brooklyn:
II the world were twice larger, and a perfect
globe. and a piece OF glass a quarter of inch
square were put It, would every part Of the glass
touch the globe?'
In OF the letters IL is stated that this question
has been made the subject OF wager Evidently
these things occasionally in through the
general mind
Assuming as seems due from the character OF the
letters that the is seriously asked won
ders why IL thought necessary 20 double the
OF the earth. Taking the earth Il IT, n an
absolutely perfect sphere. perfectly flat bit Of glass
quarter OF inch square laid upon would seem.
even II viewed with powerful microscope to touch
with It's entire under surface. But that would be
deception. for the glass would only touch the
trail point
The earth rounds off eight inches in mile, and
the amount OF depression varies the square of the
distance from the tangent point, point of touch
An eighth Of inch (half the diameter OF the piece
of glass; is the eos ssOth part OF mile The square
this is 256 s27 3344 900 Divide this by eight and
that the space separating the edges OF the
glass the sphere would be about one-hirty
thousand-miIonth of inchi This space would be
decreased with increase OF the earths size, but no
matter how large the earth became there would al
ways be some space left
Time and thought given TO such things by
means wasted. because they show how limited would
be knowledge Of the universe around us II that
knowledge confined what could actually
see OF with instruments Upon the scientific
OF the imagination il based very large part OF
the knowledge of nature that possess II we could
sensible to physical senses, should know
nothing about molecules. atoms and electrons The
electrons. which the smallest known particles of
what call matter. have been estimated to be only
Mathematician OF inch in diameter,
which is than 600 times less than the minute
space OF which we formed mental picture in the
calculation made above. On the other hand. the
diameter of hydrogen molecule is probably about 600
times greater than that space.
There 10 nothing that the Imagination cannot do.
1t leads science at STEP Often 1t to lead
astray. and when its pictures OF possibilities contra
dict what already know must reject them until
further knowledge settles the question. In their
minds eye certain men Of science foresaw the di-
vision OF the atom into still smaller particles long
before practical demonstration obtained Of the
actual existence OF those smaller particles
called eiectrOns That a in which the imas-
ination did not lead astray. 1t is not difficult to
imagine the electrons again divided into something
smaller yet, but science will speak OF such division
an exercise in the use Of imagination, suppose we
take a look through the minds telescope from the
wrong end. You know that II you look at house
through q spy-glass. opera-glass reversed the OBJ
ject seems to have been greatly diminished In size
and to have been removed TO a corresponding distance
Now It is easy in the mind treat the whole earth
the way. Increase OF actual distance has the
effect size that Ia produced by increase of
apparent distance
The earth is 5000 miles in diameter. and living
its surface cannot see It a whole. But IL
went to the could the earth a bail
nearly four times great in diameter the fun
moon appears to Going twice far the
earth would have the apparent size the
Now electron. the smallest known thing.
has diameter of 2oOO0OOo 900 OOOth of inch;
how far would we have TO in order that the APP
parent size Of the earth az could see It at all
which OF course couldn, should be than
that OF electron one foot away7 There is need
70 display the calculation here suffces give the
result The distance would be 1900 duadriliona
OF miles. away beyond the known limits of the
starry universal And yet, though the earth at
that tremendous distance and hopelessly invisible
imagination could II perfectly we'll and Just 70
the imagination the electron when once as
sured Of its existence.