36 PLATEAU ON THE FIGURE OF A LIQUID MASS 
soon see the ring lose its regularity, then divide into several 
isolated masses, each of which immediately takes the spherical 
form. Thus the ring, when it cannot preserve its figure on 
account of the decrease of its centrifugal force, and an obstacle 
prevents its reforming itself into a single sphere, resolved itself 
into several isolated spheres. As soon as the separation begins 
to take place, the movement of the disc must be stopt. 
This is not all: one or more of these spheres are then almost 
always seen to assume, at the instant of their formation, a move- 
ment of rotation upon themselves,—a movement which con- 
stantly takes place in the same direction as that of the ring. 
Moreover, as the ring, at the instant of its rupture, had still a 
remainder of velocity, the spheres to which it has given birth 
tend to fly off at a tangent; but as, on the other side, the disc, 
turning in the alcoholic liquor, has impressed on this a move- 
ment of rotation, the spheres are especially carried along by this 
last movement, and revolve for some time around the disc. 
Those which revolve at the same time upon themselves conse- 
quently then present the curious spectacle of planets revolving 
at the same time on themselves and in their orbit. The move- 
ment of rotation of these masses is, however, too slow in relation 
to their diameter to cause any sensible flattening. Finally, an- 
other very curious effect is also manifested in these circumstances : 
besides three or four large spheres into which the ring resolves 
itself, there are almost always produced one or two very small 
ones, which may thus be compared to satellites. 
The experiment which we have just described presents, as we 
see, an image in miniature of the formation of the planets, ac- 
cording to the hypothesis of Laplace, by the rupture of the 
cosmical rings attributable to the condensation of the solar atmo- 
sphere. 
20. When some oil is introduced into a mixture containing a 
little excess of alcohol, a phenomenon is observable which is 
connected with that of the resolution of the ring into isolated 
spheres. If the oil be poured in with sufficient rapidity, it forms 
a long cylindrical train extending from the beak of the funnel to 
the bottom of the vessel, where the mass gathers. Now, this 
kind of tail which connects the mass of oil with the beak of the 
funnel remains as long as the oil which forms it has a sufficiently 
rapid movement of translation, that is to say, as long as we con- 
—EE—_£_ lt (_ttt~—~— 
