WITHDRAWN FROM THE ACTION OF GRAVITY. 647 



question, and this is also confirmed by experiment, as we shall 

 see presently. Hence, although, as I liave already stated, the 

 transformation of the cylinder of mercury almost always ensues 

 in one of the two normal methods, the result is rarely very 

 regular ; we must therefore admit, that slight accidental disturb- 

 ing causes in general render the divisions formed in any one ex- 

 periment unequal in length ; but then the expressions of X, ob- 

 tained above evidently give in each experiment the mean length 

 of these divisions, or, in other words, the common length which 

 the divisions would have taken if the transformation had occurred 

 in a perfectly regular manner, giving rise to the same number of 

 isolated spheres and to the same state of the terminal masses. 



Lastly, since the third method of transfprmation presents 

 itself, i. e. since it sometimes happens that each of the bases 

 is occupied by a mass of the small kind, if we would leave out of 

 consideration the particular cause of irregularity inherent in this 

 method (the preceding par.), and find the corresponding ex- 

 pression of \, it need only be remarked, that each of the terminal 

 masses then proceeds from a semi-constriction or the foux'th of a 



division, which will evidently eive X= . 



54. 1 shall now relate the results of the experiments. The 

 diameter of the copper wires, consequently of the cylinder, was 

 r05 miUim. I first gave the cylinder a length of 90 miliims., 

 and repeated the experiment ten times, noting after each the 

 number of isolated spheres produced, and the state of the masses 

 adherent to the bases ; I then calculated for each result the 

 corresponding value of the length of a division, by means of 

 that of the three formulas of the preceding paragraph which 

 refers to this same result. I afterwards made ten more experi- 

 ments, giving the cylinder a length of 100 miliims., and also 

 calculated the corresponding values of the length of a division. 

 The table contains the results furnished by these cylinders, and 

 the values deduced for the length of a division. I only obtained a 

 perfectly regular result in one case in each series ; I have placed 

 an * opposite the corresponding number of isolated spheres. 



