. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. 380 RECENT PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. " When tlie phenomena of currents are observed in dense insulating dielectrics they present us with extraordinary degrees of mechanical force. Thus, if a pint of well rectified and filtered oil of turpentine | be put into a glass vessel and two wires be dipped into it in different places, one leading to the electrical machine and the other to the dis- charging train, on working the machine, the fluid wil


. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. 380 RECENT PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. " When tlie phenomena of currents are observed in dense insulating dielectrics they present us with extraordinary degrees of mechanical force. Thus, if a pint of well rectified and filtered oil of turpentine | be put into a glass vessel and two wires be dipped into it in different places, one leading to the electrical machine and the other to the dis- charging train, on working the machine, the fluid will be thrown into ? violent motion, whilst, at the same time, it will rise 2, 3, or 4 inches up » the machine wire, and dart off in jets from it into the ;—(1595.) ''A drop of mercury being suspended from an amalgamated brass i ball preserved its form almost unchanged in air, but when immersed . in the oil of turpentine it became very pointed and even particles of i" the metal could be spun out and carried off. The form of the liquid metal was just like that of syrup in ;—(1597.) "If the mercury at tlie bottom of the fluid be connected with the electrical machine, whilst a rod is held in the iiand terminating, in a ball three quarters of an inch in diameter, and the ball be dipped into the electrified fluid, very striking appearances ensue. When the ball is raised again so as to be at a level nearly out of the fluid, large por- tions of the latter will seem to cling to it, (fig. 76.) If it be raised Fig. 76. Fig. higher a column of the oil of turpentine will still connect it with that in the basin below, (fig. 77.) If the machine be excited into * more powerful action this will become more bulky, and may then also be raised higher, assuming ths form, (fig. 78.) ''A very remarkable effect is produced on these phenomena, con- nected with positive and negative charge and discharge, namely, that a ball charged positively raises a much higher and


Size: 2440px × 1024px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., bookauthorsmithsonianinstitutio, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840