20 FARADAY 



leaf, instead of the paper, on the coin, it would do as well. 

 It is very difficult to lay the gold leaf so flat that the air shall 

 not get under it and lift it up in falling, and I am rather 

 doubtful as to the success of this, because the gold leaf 

 is puckery, but will risk the experiment. There they go 

 together! [letting them fall] and you see at once that they 

 both reach the table at the same moment. 



We have now pumped the air out of the vessel, and you 

 will perceive that the gold leaf will fall as quickly in this 

 vacuum as the coin does in the air. I am now going to let 

 it loose, and you must watch to see how rapidly it falls. 

 There ! [letting the gold loose] there it is, falling as gold 

 should fall. 



I am sorry to see our time for parting is drawing so near. 

 As we proceed, I intend to write upon the board behind me 

 certain words, so as to recall to your minds what we have 

 already examined; and I put the word FORCES as a head- 

 ing, and I will then add beneath the names of the special 

 forces according to the order in which we consider them; 

 and although I fear that I have not sufficiently pointed out 

 to you the more important circumstances connected with the 

 force of GRAVITATION, especially the law which governs 

 its attraction (for which, I think, I must take up a little time 

 at our next meeting), still I will put that word on the 

 board, and hope you will now remember that we have in 

 some degree considered the force of gravitation that force 

 which causes all bodies to attract each other when they 

 are at sensible distances apart, and tends to draw them 

 together. 



