8 Mr. 0. J. Lodge. Experiments on [June 4, 



(The capacity of the jar was 0'0062 microfarad.) 



With A spark O62 inch long; the D and F gaps might be anything, 

 but so long as the D spark was allowed to pass the jar overflowed 

 every time the machine gave a spark at A. 



On putting one terminal of the machine to earth (the one not 

 attached to the jar), the D spark is considerably lengthened; and, 

 even when the knobs are widely separated, brushes leap from each 

 into the air whenever an A flash occurs. 



Simplified Connexions. 



5. Tried now this same gallon jar connected up to the machine in 

 the simplest possible manner, either direct by a foot or so of ordinary 

 wire, or else by the long thick copper round room or some other long 

 wire, or sometimes by both, as shown in fig. 4, so as to see what 

 difference the length of connecting circuit made to ease of overflow. 



FIG. 4. 



The machine's knobs were gradually, separated until the jar flashed 

 over its lip, and then their distance apart was read. It was found 

 that with the long connector a very much shorter A spark was 

 sufficient to cause overflow than with the short-circuiting wire. And 

 not only was it shorter, it was incomparably quieter ; the jar seemed 

 to overflow without any trouble or violence when attached to the 

 long circuit, whereas, when this was short-circuited out, the 

 A spark had to be long to cause an overflow, and when it occurred 

 its violence was great, as if threatening to smash the jar. If, under 

 these circumstances, the short circuit was removed and the long wire 

 replaced, the jar overflowed, not in one streak, but in a torrent or 



