Nipher — On the Nature of the Electric Discharge. 19 



the two spheres must be forced to collapse to zero radius 

 at a uniform rate of motion. 



Since — = V we have 

 r 



dQ = V dr = i dt 



. V 50 6.37 X10 8 AAOr , 



or t= i r = soo lxF =om 



The time during which the operation of the lamp could 

 be maintained by this amount of electricity is therefore 

 0.035 second. We must therefore think of this operation 

 as being continuously repeated 28 times a second in order 

 to maintain a 50-watt lamp in normal operation. The 

 velocity with which the radii must shorten from 6.37 X10 8 

 cm. (4000 miles) to zero during each stroke of the piston 

 of this electrical pumping service, is 1.8 X10 10 cm. per 

 second, or about 113,000 miles per second. This is more 

 than half the velocity of light. 



It is said by physicians who use electricity in the treat- 

 ment of disease that when a patient is placed on an insu- 

 lating stand, a sponge treatment with the positive ter- 

 minal of an influence machine, gives very different re- 

 sults from those produced by the negative terminal. If 

 the conclusions of this paper are correct, the reason for 

 this difference is somewhat like that which explains the 

 difference between the action of cold and hot water. In 

 the one case Franklin's "fluid" is being drawn out of the 

 patient, and in the other case it is being forced in under 

 pressure. 



The phenomena discussed in this paper show that 

 everywhere in and around an electric system composed of 

 the machine and its conductors, the negative particles are 

 the direct active agents. If we consider a branching spark 

 discharge we may perhaps assume that the breaking down 

 of the air begins at the positive terminal. A Geissler-tube 

 condition progresses outward from that terminal. Tribu- 

 tary discharges branch off from the main discharge-chan- 



