250 ELEMENTS OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. 



surfaces of A and B as shown in the figure, the degree of in- 

 clination depending upon the RI drop along A and B. 

 Therefore the energy streams out from the generator through 

 the whole of the region between A and JS, and, although the 

 energy stream turns in slightly on each line wire, the main por- 

 tion of the energy converges on the distant lamp L, as shown 

 by the dotted lines in Fig. 180. No attempt is made in Fig. 

 1 80 to represent the electric field distribution in the neighbor- 

 hood of the generator. 



141. The charge on a condenser and its disappearance when the 

 condenser plates are connected by a wire. Consider a closed 

 chain of gear wheels AB, Fig. 181. If the gears are allowed 



to slip at any point s, 

 the gear f being held 

 stationary and the 

 gear e being turned 

 in the direction of the 

 arrow, then the chain 

 of gears will be dis- 

 torted as shown in 

 Fig. 182. Conversely, 

 a chain of geared 

 wheels which by elas- 

 tic action tend to stand 

 in a smooth row,* 

 will be relieved from 

 such a zigzag distor- 

 tion as is shown in 

 Fig. 182 by permit- 

 ting the gears to slip at any point, s and the potential energy 

 stored in the distorted chain will be geared towards s from both 

 sides. 



* The chains of positive and negative ether cells are thought of as standing in zig- 

 zag rows when undistorted, as shown by the horizontal rows in Fig. 173. Here- 

 after the chains of ether cells are to be thought of as straight (or uniformly curved) 

 when free from distortion, in order that the diagrams may be simpler. 



