. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. 244 DISCHARGE OF ELECTlilCITY, direction; it is impossible to get a discharge through a tube of this h'w. it. On the other hand, the molecules exhibit remarkable powers of mak- ing closed chains for themselves when not actually prevented by the action of the electro-motive intensity. Thus the dis- charge will pass through a great length of tubing in the secondary, even if it is bent up as in Fig. 10, where tlie ver- tical piece in th
. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. 244 DISCHARGE OF ELECTlilCITY, direction; it is impossible to get a discharge through a tube of this h'w. it. On the other hand, the molecules exhibit remarkable powers of mak- ing closed chains for themselves when not actually prevented by the action of the electro-motive intensity. Thus the dis- charge will pass through a great length of tubing in the secondary, even if it is bent up as in Fig. 10, where tlie ver- tical piece in the upper part of the secondary is at right angles to tlie direction of the electric force, and where the molecules will receive no help in forming closed chains from the action of the external electro-motive forces. I have c- ceeded in sending discharges through tubes of this kind V2 to 14 feet in leuirtli. - F\a. w. Screening effects due to the currents in the tubes.—One very noticeable feature of these discharges is the well-defined character of the ring, if the pressure is not too low. If a large bulb is used for the secondary with the primary just outside it, when the sparks pass between the jars a bright, well-defined ring passes through the bulb near to the suri'ace of the glass, the gas inside this ring being, as far as can be judged, quite free from any discharge. If now a bulb whose diameter is less than that of the lumin- ous ring is inserted in the primary in place of the larger bulb, a bright ring will start in this, though at this distance from the primary there was no dis- charge in the larger bulb. Thus when the large bulb was in the primary, the discharge through its (mter portions screened the interior from electro- ?Jb^a/^ motive forces to an extent sufficient to stop a dis- ^'*''^' (;harge which would otherwise take place. The screening action of these discharges is also shown by the follow- ing exi)eriment: A, B, C, Fig. 11, is the section of a glass vessel
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