250 EFFECT OF 



Looking at the above tabulated means as given by Morley 

 himself, we recognize the utter folly of such a " correction," 

 except for show of an exactness NOT attained to in fact. 



For we see readily, that the longer Mr. Morley kept 

 weighing hydrogen, the lighter it became, precisely, as our 

 corresponding table for oxygen showed plainly (though we 

 did not accentuate it in words) that oxygen grew heavier on 

 his hands, the longer he kept weighing it. See p. 248. 



Suppose, for a moment, that Mr. Morley had not stopped 

 weighing these two gases would that be any reason for the 

 hydrogen ceasing to grow lighter? 



I should not think so; of course, Morley weighing with 

 utmost exactness, can not, and therefore has not erred 

 except in ceasing to weigh altogether. 



We shall resume this fascinating subject further on. 



We must first obtain the mean weight of a liter of hydro- 

 gen, according to the exquisitely accurate weighings of Mr. 

 Morley, made to the thousandth of the milligramme. 



But that is absolutely impossible, the weight is not 

 irregularly varying, but varies gradually and steadily. 



Ah, indeed! That is the trouble. Morley has got it. 

 Of course he was liable to catch it. Indeed, he is afflicted 

 with Morbus Stasii, very badly. 



Let us drop, therefore, that humbug of the thousandths 

 of a milligramme. We have shown it to be a humbug 

 here as we have in other cases. 



We shall have all the uncertainty we want to touch with 

 these, our hands, if we round off the above results of Morley 

 to the hundredth of a milligramme. 



Dropping the Thousandths of the Milligramme. 



Mean weight of a liter of hydrogen in mgrs. 



Series I 15 Det., 99 85; 14. Mean 89.94 



" II 19 Det., 14 87; 27. " 97 



" III 6 Det., 9186; 5. 89 



" IV 6 Det., 97 78; 19. 88 



" V 1 1 Det, 88 83; 5- " 87 



