OF AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE. 13 



sent themselves can be compared with each other, without 

 neglecting the members of a higher order, and without the 

 limiting assumption made with respect to the thickness of the 

 glass. 



Whatever the nature of the jar may be, when s is the surface 

 of its interior coating, and q the quantity of electricity upon it, 

 we can set 



V=-|A, (15) 



where A: is a constant dependent on the nature of the jar, which, 

 though not known, is the same for equal jars, and besides this is 

 of the first order in respect to the mean thickness of the glass. 



Now let n such jars be taken, and having been all charged to 

 the same degree, let all the inner and all the outer coatings be 

 connected together. Then if we do not take into account the 

 influence exerted by the jars upon each other, in case they stand 

 too near, nor the influence of the electricity distributed over 

 the connecting pieces, then as regards the potential function no 

 change will be effected by the combination, but the potential, on 

 the contrary, in the entire battery will have an n times greater 

 value than in every single jar. Hence calling the surface of the 

 common interior coating S, and the total electricity distributed 

 over it Gl, to obtain the quantities V and W for the entire bat- 

 tery it is only necessary to set in the foregoing equations in the 



Q, S 



place of q its value - , and for s its value -, and to multiply the 



second equation by n. In this case n disappears in both equa- 

 tions, and we again obtain 



v--|j (in 



w=-f.|. ,.„ 



Regarding then the potential of a charged Leyden jar or battery 

 as known, the increase of the potential by the act of discharge, 

 and hence the work produced by the electricity are given. If the 



