Evening star., 1924-10-26
THE BUREAU OF STANDARDS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

The National Bureau of Standards
is a house of wonders. Its hundred
laboratories abound in proof tina,
truth is stranger than fiction. The
marvel of 1t is not merely that It's
experts weigh to one part in a billion
or talk and work to the millionth OF
an inch, the millionth of a second or
the billionth of an ampere. but that
such ltra-precision is of the utmost
practical use.
In the main building is the stan
dards vault. 1t contains the national
standard which governs all weighings
in the United States. 1t is kept with
almost religious care. SO delicate
are the balances used that the cross
ing of the letter "t' in a penciled
signature can easily be weighed. The
change in weight when piece OF
metal is raised one inch from the earth
can be measured. Recently a series OF
crystals was weighed with an error
less than one part in billion.
In another room means are being
devised for ruling $4,000 or more
lines within 1 inch, straight and par
allel, with no error in spacing sc
much as one-millionh of an inch
Such a ruled surface has the power
to analyze a ray of light from a stal
or an atom to tell what it is made
of, to measure the light waves and
to disclose the structure Of the atom
An expert recently measured and
certified the size of an incredible bit
of diamond point micro writing or
glass so small that the Lords prayer
was invisible to the naked eye. Forty
Bibles could be written at that rate
on one square inch.
An impressive sight is the giant
testing machine with a pulling power
of 1.150,00o pounds and a crushing
power of 100000 pounds--a Titan
which crushes to destruction a huge
structural column or tears apart g
steel shaft inches in diameter. II
records the crushing force of thou
sand tons or that required to crush
an eggshell.
Fifteen years were well spent in pre-
pairing the bureaus Fundamental
standards of length and mass. Re
spect for the infinitesimal is car
dinal virtue at the bureau. No factor
is too slight, no labor too exacting
when national standards are involved
Science blossoms into discovery with
each new advance in precision. The
bureaus creed holds that progress
rests on that refined scrutiny OF
things which expresses itself in pre-
else measurement
The House of Accuracy.
In one room an expert is making
master cages, shaped like thick
coins, true to size within 1-20O,0 00(
of an inch. In a nearby room the
visitor may behold by optical means
the bending of tool-steel shafting 3h
inches thick beneath the weight Of
a visiting card.
The layman hardly appreciates how
important the work of the bureau i.
to him. His groceries are sold BY
measures controlled ultimately by the
bureaus standards; his electric ligh,
conforms to it's specifications; his
doctors thermometer is tested ant
certified here; from the druggist.
prescription to the ton of coal, every
household measurement rests .upor
standards maintained in our national
laboratory.
Materials in great variety are SEN
here, literally to have their fortune,
told, not by occult crystal gazers, bu
by experts with microscope and tes
tube. The materials range from
horseshoe nails for. the Army mul.
to cement for the Panama Canal. The.
include leather, rubber and textiles
bookmaking materials, such as paper
ink, type, glue and cloth; structura
materials, such as metals, lumber
concrete, brick, plaster, paints .ant
varnishes; Office supplies, such as
writing paper, sealing wax, mucilagt
and typewriter ribbons. Inks and
dyes are faded by ultraviolet rays
papers are burst, folded and pulled
to measure durability; Typewriter
supplies are tested in service by higl
speed automatic means; scarcely {
material escapes the scientific test
Where flaws are detected. specifica
tions are made more definite by tn,
maker and user jointly. The result 1!
a steady rise in the quality of ma
terials.
To measure the heat Of single
star, an instrument has been designed
and made which is so delicate tina
| it is responsive to the heat OF can
die several hundred miles away. Val
liable as this work on the stars hal
been. opening I'D g neH art toE thu