In T. 749, Major Taylor presents some calculations which “shew that the chief cause of the dissipation of sound during its transmission through the lower atmosphere must be sought for in the eddying motion which is known to exist there. The amount of dissipation which these calculations would lead us to expect from our knowledge of the structure of the lower atmosphere agrees, as well as the rough nature of the observations permit, with the amount of dissipation given by Mr Lindemann.”

The problem discussed is one of importance and it is attended with considerable difficulties. There can be no doubt that on many occasions, perhaps one might say normally, the attenuation is much more rapid than according to the law of inverse squares. Some 20 years ago (Scientific Papers, Vol. iv. p. 298) I calculated that according to this law the sound of a Trinity House syren, absorbing 60 horse-power, should be audible to 2700 kilometres!

A failure to propagate, so far as it is uniform on all occasions, would naturally be attributed to dissipative action. I am here using the word in the usual and narrower technical sense, implying a degradation of energy from the mechanical form into heat, or a passage of heat from a higher to a lower temperature. Although there must certainly be dissipation consequent upon radiation and conduction of heat, it does not appear that these causes are adequate to explain the attenuation of sound sometimes observed, even at moderate distances. This question is discussed in Phil. Mag. XLVII. p. 308, 1899 (Scientific Papers, Vol. IV. p. 376) in connexion with some observations of Wihner Duff.

Among the many remarkable anticipations contained in T. Young's Lectures on Natural Philosophy (1807) is that in which he explains the effect of what is now commonly known as the sand-blast. On p. 144 he writes:—“There is, however, a limit beyond which the velocity of a body striking another cannot be increased without overcoming its resilience, and breaking it, however small the bulk of the first body may be, and this limit depends on the inertia of the parts of the second body, which must not be disregarded when they are impelled with a considerable velocity. For it is demonstrable that there is a certain velocity, dependent on the nature of a substance, with which the effect of any impulse or pressure is transmitted through it; a certain portion of time, which is shorter accordingly as the body is more elastic, being required for the propagation of the force through any part of it; and if the actual velocity of any impulse be in a greater proportion to this velocity than the extension or compression, of which the substance is capable, is to its whole length, it is obvious that a separation must be produced, since no parts can be extended or compressed which are not yet affected by the impulse, and the length of the portion affected at any instant is not sufficient to allow the required extension or compression.

In a recently published paper I have examined, with the aid of a new manometer, the behaviour of gases at very low pressures, rising to 1·5 millims. of mercury, with the result that Boyle's law was verified to a high degree of precision. There is, however, a great gap between the highest pressure there dealt with and that of the atmosphere—a gap which it appeared desirable in some way to bridge over. The sloping manometer, described in the paper referred to, does not lend itself well to the use of much greater pressures, at least if we desire to secure the higher proportional accuracy that should accompany the rise of pressure. The present communication gives the results of observations, by another method, of the law of pressure in gases between 75 millims. and 150 millims. of mercury. It will be seen that for air and hydrogen Boyle's law is verified to the utmost. In the case of oxygen, the agreement is rather less satisfactory, and the accordance of separate observations is less close. But even here the departure from Boyle's law amounts only to one part in 4000, and may perhaps be referred to some reaction between the gas and the mercury. In the case of argon too the deviation, though very small, seems to lie beyond the limits of experimental errors.

The expression of Prof. Larmor's views in his paper “On the Constitution of Natural Radiation” is very welcome. Although it may be true that there has been no direct contradiction, public and private communications have given me an uneasy feeling that our views are not wholly in harmony; nor is this impression even now removed. It may conduce to a better understanding of some of these important and difficult questions if without dogmatism I endeavour to define more clearly the position which I am disposed to favour on one or two of the matters concerned.

On p. 580, in comparing white light and Röntgen radiation, Prof. Larmor writes: “Both kinds of disturbance are resolvable by Fourier's principle into trains of simple waves. But if we consider the constituent train having wave-length variable between λ and λ + δλ, i.e. varying irregularly from part to part of the train within these limits, a difference exists between the two cases. In the case of the white light the vibration-curve of this approximately simple train is in appearance steady; it is a curve of practically constant amplitude, but of wave-length slightly erratic within the limits δλ and therefore of phase at each point entirely erratic. In the Fourier analysis of the Röntgen radiation the amplitude is not regular, but on the contrary may be as erratic as the phase.” This raises the question as to the general character of the resultant of a large number of simple trains of approximately equal wave-length.

Speculations on tidal questions are much hampered by our ignorance of the peculiar influence of the earth's rotation in any but the simplest cases. The importance of this element was first appreciated by Laplace, and he succeeded in obtaining solutions of various problems relating to a globe completely covered with water to a depth either uniform throughout, or at any rate variable only with latitude. His work has been extended by Kelvin, G. Darwin, and Hough. For an excellent summary, reference may be made to Lamb's Hydrodynamics, which includes also important original additions to the theory.

But it must not be overlooked that a theory which supposes the globe to be completely covered with water has very little relation to our actual tides. Indeed, in practice, tidal prediction borrows nothing from Laplace's theory, unless it be to look for tidal periods corresponding with those of the generating forces. And this correspondence, although perhaps first brought into prominence in connection with Laplace's theory, is a general mechanical principle, not limited to hydrodynamics. If the theory of terrestrial tides is to advance, it can only be by discarding the imaginary globe completely covered with water and considering examples more nearly related to the facts, as was done in some degree by Young and Airy in their treatment of tides in canals.

I suppose that everyone is familiar with the system of oblique waves advancing in echelon from the bow of a ship which travels through smooth water. What is not so easily observed from on board is the corresponding wave-profile, i.e. the deviation of the water-surface at the side of the ship from the position which it would occupy in a state of rest. Sketches, both of the whole system of waves and of various wave-profiles, have been given by W. and R. E. Froude, and the influence of the various components of the wave-system in contributing to the aggregate wave-resistance has been discussed. Attention has perhaps tended to concentrate upon the directly advancing waves—those whose crests are perpendicular to the ship's motion—and upon the remarkable interaction between the systems originating at the bow and stern. But, apart from its interesting geometrical features, the oblique part of the wave-system also impresses an observer with its mechanical importance as probably contributing in no mean degree to the total wavemaking resistance.

From the time of my first acquaintance with drawings of wave-profiles I have been struck with their significance as indicating that the usual form of bow (and perhaps of stern) is not well adapted to minimise the forces of resistance. At the stem and immediately behind, the water is raised above the normal level, and this elevation is undoubtedly the principal feature.

InNature (Vol. Lxiv. p. 181, 1901) I directed attention to experiments by Heydweiller (Drude Ann. Vol. v. p. 394) from which he inferred that some chemical transformations, such as the solution of copper sulphate in water, were attended by real, though minute, changes of weight, and I pointed out certain difficulties involved in the acceptance of this statement. In connexion with another subject, it has lately occurred to me that such changes of weight would really be in opposition to the laws of thermodynamics, and I propose now briefly to sketch the argument from which this opposition appears.

It is known that by suitable arrangements the dissolution of salt may be effected reversibly at a given temperature. During the process, a certain amount of work is gained and a certain amount of heat at the given temperature has to be supplied. In the reverse process, of course, an equal amount of work has to be performed and an equal amount of heat is recovered. The temperature being given, these operations are not affected (it is assumed) by the height above the earth's surface at which they may be supposed to take place.

Conceive now that the temperature is uniform throughout and that the materials are initially at a low level and in one state (A). Let them be raised to a high level and there be transformed into the other state (B).

The question must often have presented itself as to how far the mathematical regularities dealt with by the crystallographer are realized in actual crystals. That the natural faces of crystals tend to be plane is fundamental; on the other hand, it is well known that in practice it is difficult to get any but very small faces to stand the roughest optical test. Explanations of the discrepancy may readily be suggested. The ideal conditions under which alone the tendency to flatness could fully assert itself may be scarcely attainable in practice.

The case of surfaces obtained by cleavage would seem to offer a better chance. To test this one naturally refers to mica. Mr Boys, I think, has somewhere remarked upon the fact that a piece of mica held in front of the object-glass of a telescope does not disturb the definition in the way that a piece of glass does, unless the latter be carefully worked. Mica thin enough to be convenient for such tests is of course too flexible for an examination of flatness. And it is easy to recognize that flexibility is not the only cause of deviation. There are also local irregularities, due possibly to particles of foreign matter or to strains which have exceeded the elastic limit.

In discussions respecting the character of the curve by which the vibrations of white light may be expressed, I have often felt the want of some ready, even if rough, method of compounding several prescribed simple harmonic motions. Any number of points on the resultant can of course always be calculated and laid down as ordinates; but the labour involved in this process is considerable. The arrangement about to be described was exhibited early in the year during lectures at the Royal Institution. As it is inexpensive to construct and easily visible to an audience, I have thought that such a description might be useful, accompanied with a few specimens of curves actually drawn with its aid.

A wooden batten, say 1 inch square and 5 feet long, is so mounted horizontally as to be capable of movement only along its length. For this purpose it suffices to connect two points near the two ends, each by means of two thin metallic wires, with four points symmetrically situated in the roof overhead. This mounting, involving four constraints only, allows also of a rotatory or rolling motion, which could be excluded, if necessary, by means of a fifth wire attached to a lateral arm. In practice, however, this provision was not used or needed. The movement of the batten along its length is controlled by a piece of spring-steel against which the pointed extremity of the batten is held by rubber bands.