The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-10-14
-DINtL UT OOICIION
HEAT LOST BY
EARTH FAST AS
SUN WARNS IT
Constant Energy Radiation
Into Space Presents
Science Problem.
-Dietz on Science
BY DAVID DIETZ
soripps- Howard Science Editor

A reader wants to know why the
earth, since it is continually bathed
in sunlight. does not grow warmer
from year to year. Perhaps similar
questions have bothered other read
ers. His letter follows:
II the sun is continually radi-
ating energy, what becomes of it
all? If the earth is wrapped in a
layer Of gases, and a vacuum be-
yond that. doesn't that condition
parallel a thermos bottle? Under
circumstances like that, the heat of
the earth should increase from year
to year. But does it?"
Like many a question, these are
easier asked than answered. But
let's go
The sun is radiating energy into
space all the time. Except for the
little that is intercepted by the earth
and other planets, it is dissipated
into space. The same thing is true
Of the energy of the stars.
Radium Used in Tests
That is why Eddington, Jeans, and
other authorities, say that the uni
verse is running down. Eventually,
they say, all the energy of the uni
verse will be dissipated throughout
space in an unavailable form.
Jeans has calculated that If all
the energy of the universe was
scattered uniformly through space it
would raise the temperature of space
only fraction of a degree.
Recent experiments in which rays
from radium seem to be turned into
matter appear to indicate that the
running down process may not be
the only factor. Perhaps some
process Of winding up the universe
also may exist.
Three Methods Explained
At one time heat was thought to
be an imponderable substance,
called caloric, which was trans
ferred from one body to another.
We know now that heat is mole
cular vibration. A body is cold
when the molecules comprising it
are vibrating slowly. When they
vibrate more rapidly, the body be-
comes hot.
Heat can be transferred from one
body to another by three methods.
The first is conduction. You heat
one end of an iron poker and the
other end becomes hot. You can
imagine the molecules at the heated
end increasing their vibration and
gradually setting this neighbors to
vibrate more rapidly.
The second method is convention.
This is the method by which a
boiler Of water is heated by a fire
below it. The heated water rises
in the boiler, setting up convection
currents which cause the entire
mass of water to grow hot much
faster than if the heat had to spread
by conduction alone.
Rays Warm Atmosphere.
The third method is radiation.
That is the way heat is transferred
from the sun to the earth. In
greater or lesser degree, all hot
bodies give off heat, or to use
more accurate word, energy in the
same way.
The energy from the sun falls
upon the surface of the earth. 1t
is absorbed by the earth. The
molecular of the earth's surface, alb
sorbing the energy, vibrate more
rapidly Therefore the earth's sur
face has become warmer.
The heat rays from the sun which
the earth absorbS are given off
again by the earth in the form of
longer heat waves. These rays warm
the atmosphere. The atmosphere is
not warmed very much by the suns
rays on their original passage. That
is why the temperature only few
miles above the earths surface is
always many degrees below zero.