The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-04-06


Power Loom and Sewing Machine
Its Use Explained in Simple Ian
ouage.
"The thermionic valve is an inven
ton which is the keystone of the arch
Of modern wireless telegraphy. With
out 1t this kind of telegraphy would
have very restricted use. With II
we can telegraph from England to
Australia at the rate of a hundred
words or more a minute. We can
speak telephonically to flying air
planes or airships 100 miles away and
miles high in the sky. We can talk
across stormy oceans many hundreds
OF miles as easily and often better
than we can speak across the city by
means of telephone exchange. In
short, the thermionic valve is an in
vention worthy to stand in the same
category of merit as the steam engine,
the power loom, the sewing machine
or the petrol engine. Moreover, unlike
these inventions, it is extremely
simple in construction"
So says John Ambrose Fleming,
d. &c., fellow of the Royal Society, in
signed article in the Manchester
Guardian. Doctor Fleming is a dis
tinguished consulting electrical engi-
neer, and lectures on applied mechan-
les in the university and has been
professor of electrical engineering at
University college, London, since 1885,
He has been intimately associated with
the development of all the great ap-
plications of electrical science in the
past twenty-five years-the telephone,
electric lighting and wireless telegra-
ply. He is the inventor of the Their
mionic valve, which has revolution
lied wireless telegraphy and made
possible wireless. telephoning.
Approved by Committee.
In the article here quoted Doctor
Fleming writes.
I'm the year 1890 an imperial
wireless telegraphy committee, ap-
pointed to consider the scheme Of in
accommodation between all parts of
the British empire, reported to par
lament the conclusions at which they
had arrived. These were broadly as
follows: (1) That the imperial wire
distances of about 1000 miles, con-
Meeting the various communities of
the empire; (2) that the wireless sys-
tenn employed should be that making
use of the thermionic valve; 81 that
the stations be planned by wireless
commission composed of experts and |
that the construction of these stations |
should be intrusted to the engineering
department of the general post office
and the corresponding Indian and do
minion authorities.
1.-THE report of this wireless COM
mission has just been issued and
forms interesting reading to experts
In wireless telegraphy. The general
reader will, however, find it's techni-
calities unintelligible in the absence
Of a little explanation. The first
question he will ask is: What is this
thermionic valve to which the commit
tee attaches so much Importance?
"The thermiOnic valve consists
merely of an incandescent electric
amp comprising a glass or silica bulb
which is highly exhausted of its air
md contains filament of tungsten
wire which can be rendered intensely
lot by an electric current passed
through it. 1t differs, however, from
IN electric lamp by having the fila
nent surrounded by two metal cylin-
lers. The outer one is cylinder
ormed of a solid plate of nickel and
he inner one is either a spiral of
ickel wire or else a cylinder of nickel
auze or network. These two cylin-
ers do not touch each other or the
lament and they are attached to
TRES which are sealed through the ]
vall of the bulb.
Atoms and Elections. I
ITO explain the operation OF this
evice we must remind the reader
lat modern research has shown that
le atoms of which material sub {
.ances are composed are themselves /
,rmed of still smaller atoms Of cleo t
icty called electrons. An atom Of t
after is very small thing. II $780, t
10000 atoms of copper or gold were r
ut in a row, like marbles, touching Il
Ich other, the row would only be an v
oh long. But an electron is still n
Mailer. It's diameter is probably only h
lie hundred thousandth of that of an
ON. Electrons are of two kinds 3
lied positive and negative, and an
ON is a sort of solar system in
lich a number of negative electrons
vOlve round nucleus composed :.
lefty of positive electrons. In the
Sc of metals some of these negative
sctrons escape easily from the
oms and probably jump about from -
1m to atom like bees in q garden
ting from flower to flower The -
aed with which these free electrons a
rt about is sixty miles per second. q
Procession of Elections. '"
The state we call an electric cur ~
1t in a wire is merely these free w
ctrons as a whole drifting III one
ection or surging to and fro with -
ceasing their irregular motion ~
len a wire, say, of tungsten Is mad q
Y hot some of these free electrons az
ape from its surface, and this IL Nv
led thermionc emission. II, then, y