﻿4()() 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOI^. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  17 
  

  

  and 
  9 
  in 
  Alaska, 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  current 
  daily 
  meteorological 
  chart 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  

   hemisphere 
  is 
  prepared. 
  These 
  reports 
  are 
  obtained 
  by 
  telegraph, 
  cable, 
  

   telephone 
  and 
  radio, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  used 
  wholly 
  or 
  in 
  part 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  the 
  collection 
  and 
  transmission 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  from 
  Europe, 
  West 
  

   Indies 
  and 
  South 
  America, 
  the 
  Far 
  East 
  and 
  Alaska. 
  Radio 
  is 
  also 
  used 
  in 
  

   providing 
  the 
  meteorological 
  services 
  of 
  Europe, 
  the 
  Philippines 
  and 
  Japan 
  

   with 
  reports 
  from 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  Canada 
  and 
  Alaska 
  in 
  exchange. 
  

  

  The 
  vessel 
  weather 
  service 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  and 
  exceedingly 
  valuable 
  feature 
  

   of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Weather 
  Bureau. 
  Radio 
  communications 
  are 
  utilized 
  

   almost 
  exclusively 
  in 
  cormection 
  therewith. 
  Observations 
  are 
  taken 
  regularly 
  

   on 
  vessels 
  plying 
  the 
  south 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  Pacific 
  oceans, 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  Sea 
  

   and 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  These 
  observations 
  are 
  radioed 
  twice 
  daily 
  to 
  the 
  

   forecast 
  centers 
  at 
  Washington 
  and 
  San 
  Francisco 
  and 
  are 
  charted 
  in 
  con- 
  

   junction 
  with 
  land 
  reports. 
  Cyclone 
  and 
  anti-cyclone 
  centers 
  are 
  located 
  

   over 
  these 
  water 
  areas, 
  their 
  intensity, 
  direction 
  of 
  movement 
  and 
  rate 
  of 
  

   progress 
  are 
  determined, 
  and 
  forecasts 
  and 
  warnings 
  are 
  broadcast 
  for 
  the 
  

   benefit 
  of 
  ships 
  of 
  all 
  nations. 
  During 
  the 
  year 
  1921 
  about 
  10,000 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  received 
  by 
  radio 
  from 
  ships 
  at 
  sea. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  service, 
  

   especially 
  during 
  the 
  hurricane 
  season, 
  in 
  the 
  saving 
  of 
  ships, 
  lives 
  and 
  cargoes 
  

   is 
  enormous. 
  The 
  dissemination 
  of 
  the 
  forecasts 
  and 
  warnings 
  to 
  ships 
  is 
  

   accomplished 
  entirely 
  by 
  U. 
  S. 
  Naval 
  radio 
  stations. 
  Comprehensive 
  weather 
  

   bulletins 
  containing 
  observations 
  from 
  land 
  and 
  sea 
  areas, 
  synopses 
  of 
  barom- 
  

   eter 
  distributions 
  over 
  land 
  and 
  sea, 
  wind 
  and 
  weather 
  forecasts 
  for 
  designated 
  

   ocean 
  zones 
  and 
  storm 
  and 
  hurricane 
  Avarnings 
  are 
  broadcast 
  twice 
  daily 
  

   from 
  5 
  high-power 
  stations; 
  and 
  local 
  bulletins 
  and 
  forecasts 
  from 
  31 
  naval 
  

   radio 
  stations 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  Gulf 
  and 
  Pacific 
  coasts, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Lakes. 
  This 
  service 
  for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  navigation 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  complete, 
  

   extensive 
  and 
  effective 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  extend 
  the 
  benefits 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  forecasts, 
  

   cold 
  wave, 
  heavy 
  snow, 
  frost 
  and 
  other 
  warnings 
  to 
  the 
  agricultural 
  interests 
  

   of 
  the 
  country 
  as 
  efi"ectively 
  as 
  to 
  commercial 
  and 
  navigation 
  interests, 
  

   Ijecause 
  of 
  the 
  inaccessibility 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  farmers 
  to 
  the 
  telegraph 
  

   and 
  telephone 
  lines, 
  and 
  to 
  newspapers 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  distributed 
  for 
  

   the 
  most 
  part. 
  The 
  marvellous 
  advance 
  made 
  in 
  radio 
  telephony 
  offers 
  a 
  

   solution 
  of 
  this 
  difficult 
  and 
  important 
  problem. 
  Farmers 
  in 
  increasing 
  

   numbers 
  are 
  supplying 
  themselves 
  with 
  receiving 
  sets. 
  The 
  Weather 
  Bureau 
  

   has 
  taken 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  opportunity 
  and 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  broadcasting 
  weather 
  

   reports 
  and 
  warnings 
  has 
  been 
  inaugurated 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  states. 
  This 
  

   system 
  now 
  embraces 
  80 
  stations 
  in 
  34 
  states. 
  

  

  P. 
  R. 
  Heyl: 
  On 
  a 
  superior 
  limit 
  of 
  n 
  in 
  Fermat's 
  equation. 
  Discussed 
  by 
  

   Messrs. 
  Heal 
  and 
  Humphreys. 
  

  

  If 
  in 
  Fermat's 
  Equation 
  x" 
  -{- 
  y" 
  = 
  z" 
  we 
  assign 
  any 
  arbitrary 
  value 
  to 
  

   z 
  we 
  can 
  find 
  a 
  critical 
  value 
  of 
  n 
  above 
  which 
  no 
  integral 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  

   equation 
  is 
  possible. 
  This 
  value 
  of 
  w 
  is 
  a 
  slowly 
  increasing 
  function 
  of 
  z; 
  

   hence 
  by 
  its 
  means 
  no 
  general 
  proof 
  of 
  Fermat's 
  Last 
  Theorem 
  can 
  be 
  arrived 
  

   ut. 
  

  

  