48 THE NEW WORLD OF SCIENCE 



It promised to do away with the chief terror of the American 

 flyer, namely, coming down in flames. An airplane compass 

 and a speedmeter developed by Major Mendenhall and Lieut. 

 Williamson, in cooperation with the General Electric Company 

 were used on all American planes. Dr. Duff, Captain Web- 

 ster, Captain Sieg and Captain Brown increased notably the 

 accuracy in bombing, a matter of the greatest importance since 

 doubling the accuracy in dropping bombs is more than equiva- 

 lent to doubling the production of bombing planes. Under the 

 stimulus of the war Dr. Coolidge developed a new and improved 

 x-ray tube for use in field hospitals. Dr. E. F. Nichols de- 

 veloped a new type of mine, which was used in mining opera- 

 tions in the North Sea. Prof. A. A. Michelson developed a 

 new and improved range finder, which was accepted by the 

 Navy Department. Prof. Raymond Dodge developed a new 

 piece of physical apparatus for the selection and training of 

 gunners. This instrument was adopted and used both by the 

 American and foreign navies. Optical glass was produced in 

 large quantities for the first time in the United States under 

 the guidance of a committee of the Physical Science Division of 

 the Research Council, consisting of Drs. A. L. Day, S. W. 

 Stratton and R. A. Millikan. 



This is but an incomplete sketch of what look now like the 

 most important developments in Physics which were stimulated 

 by the war. Scores of other problems were undertaken the 

 results of which may in the end be as useful both for the pur- 

 poses of war >and for those of peace as any of those herein set 

 forth. 



