124 



NATURE 



[March 23, 191 1 



I HI will be provided in the near 



i;)i|j(.. i.int rmfl incrr-risin^ brrinrh ->' ♦•'■• '■ 



III iIk- |)li\>ii> i|.|i.irl iii'iil , ' 

 I 111 \ I Av\ \\~\\\\ 1 .ill for iii'ii; 



I ...' ' ;i/ .i]i|i,ii .ilu-, ]>! ' ^.ni' 'I l.\ 

 , 11:. '11. .1 i.il ..! I'M.t. \:M,,:nM' I 

 1 ii. kiii'lii' - - 

 I'Uwirk wo 



' ; \ ( i )III[M<'M'>I ■ '" I •» 1 t 



i\, the s|K'ed niii.-iiniii;^ <iMi^t.ini within 

 willuiut irL'ul.iiii.n, I.. I lif;..n iiiiiuiirs. 



to 1. 



W 



1 .\|)m1 



-hhiijloil, 



■ ])U! 

 M.c. 



111.- 



l;ikr p. Ill ill an iiil'iii 



unit' 



tllHl 



will 



-horilv 



Ill II 

 I"" 



riii.ii (.11. 

 niid 111 ih 



\isilr'(i 



• \, to 



I <M. i.r --,ww i volta- 



A full report on the 



■ International Com- 



Ihr WlMk 1 



national \( 

 p. 50.SK 



lis. 



-l.iKJs, wliiih was constituted at 

 ml.!. 11,. .1 niii.s. llip iminediate result of 

 l„,n ih'- adoption of the value i-oi83 inter- 

 in pl.K . ol loiS.), ;i> the electromotive force 

 a normal ceil (see Nature, February i6, 



valualilc researches on the construction and accurate 



.-uivinmt of inductances, which have now extended over 



:.i! \. irs, have been continued; an interesting feature 



,.! ■ work lias been the construction of a resist- 



.11 loii.-i.uii and almost negligible inductance. A 



■ i;p.in-.on of magnetic tests, for total loss, on steel sheet 



n progress, in cooperation with the Bureau of Standards 

 ,1 Washington and the Physikalisch-Technische Reichs- 

 .m^i.ilt. 



Vhc electrotechnics division has made investigations into 

 the effect of travelling on supply meters, the heating of 

 1 imp sockets, the electric strength of micanite, and into the 

 li' 1- I ioration, and possible means of protection, of ebonite 

 -urf.irrs, which all present matter of considerable practical 

 \,ihii\ Test's on the heating of cables have been carried out 

 for the Wiring Rules Committee of the Institution of Elec- 

 trical Engineers. In photometry, the establishment of 

 III. lallic filament sub-standard lamps has required an in- 

 I >tij;ation which has presented numerous difficulties, and 

 hiriiished results of much theoretical and practical interest. 

 .\n important comparison of life tests of glow-lamps was 

 carried out between the laboratory and the Electrical Test- 

 ing Laboratories of New York, and showed that agree- 

 ment within 5 per cent, could be expected in such tests. 



In tho work on the fundamental high-temperature scale, 

 dilTiciiUirs have been met with in the construction of the 

 n s, rvoirs and tubes of refractory rare-earth materials, 

 whiili for the time have delayed progress. Valuable work 

 has been done for the International Commission which is 

 dealing with the methods and apparatus for petroleum 

 testing. It is well known that different forms of flash- 

 point apparatus give different values for the flash-point of 

 an oil. Careful exploration of the temperatures below and 

 at the oil surface, and in the vapour, up to the time of 

 Hash, has indicated a probable cause of these discrepancies, 

 "^ome interesting tests have been carried out on the 

 •>ii iTiens' calorimetric water pyrometer. 



In the metrology division, Mr. J. E. Sears has taken 

 over the charge of the work from Mr. H. H. Jeffcott, 

 who was appointed early in 1910 to the professorship of 

 engineering in the Royal College of Science, Dublin. An 

 interesting feature of the year's work has been the study 

 of the thermal expansion and hysteresis of fused silica, in 

 connection with the new silica standard of length. An 

 account of this work, and of a method employed for 

 counting the rulings of a diffraction grating, has been 

 prepared by Dr. Kaye, and published in the Philosophical 

 Magazine. 



In the optics division, a tilting table of special design 

 has been installed for tests on clinometers and levels, and 

 metal prisms to serve as standards of angle have been 

 made for use with it, their angles being measured by 

 optical means to a high degree of accuracy. 



In the engineering department, a large number of re- 

 searches^ have been further advanced, among which may 

 be mentioned specially the investigation into the strength 

 and efficiency of welded joints, the work on alternating 

 stresses of high frequency, shock tests on different forms 



aeroii 



don. . 



; >o been 



■ hnnnf^t.; 



l.-.iii wiih :!, 

 .I.-., til.- lift 



propelli r 



-r otii' r piirjio 

 vibrating, and 



.>n,l,,;r,., .V,. 



.:■■ ■Ailillill{4 .tllli. 



i .\1' x.md'-r pri/.'-, 



tog.-lli.T witli nocessary testing 



plant, also for: ire of the year's 



work. The ij- ., .- -.^ was published in 



November la--t. 



The chief iint.iilii! .tnh com la. Id during the 



y-ar loio w.is th.ai on I'-r-mangan'-sf 



all.A-. which foniird tli. iih report to 



the Alloys Research ConuiKii. <>! ;ii' Institution of 

 Mechanical Engineers. Work on the alloys of aluminium 

 and zinc has since been in progress, and an interesting 

 paper on the theoretical results of this research has recently 

 been communicated to tlie Royal Society. The investig.i- 

 tions into tli.- .•ui'Ttir .'illo\^..ind into the effect of strain on 

 stf.-l at hii^li t.-inp'-r.-itur.-.. li,i\-.- .also made good progr«;-s>. 

 Th.' (>lannini; of th. vrw .■n. '.illurLjica] laboratories has, of 

 coiirsf, con^iiuii'-.l ;m i^np. n; .ml |)art of the year's work. 



ih? section of tlie report which deals with the work of 

 the observatory department gives details as to the tests of 

 instruments during 1910, and .t'so ..om.- D.-ntirul.ars of ri; 

 growth of the Kew verificat:.' 



1910. The number of " clin: -- 



about 4000, in 1909 nearly 26,000. The total number oi 

 instruments tested since 1880 is more than 673,000. In 

 July last the meteorological work of Kew was transferred 

 to "the Meteorological Office, of which Kew will in future 

 be the central observatory. 



The complete scheme of reorganisation of the Kew work 

 involves the transference to Teddington of the instrument 

 testing, but for this in roased accommodation at Tedding- 

 ton is necessarx'. I Iv i^reat growth of the work of the 

 laboratory renders also imperative the provision of a build- 

 ing for office and administration purposes. The plans for 

 these additional buildings are already well advanced, and 

 it is earnestly to be hoped that lack of funds will not be 

 allowed to hamper and to curtail the natural development 

 of the important work which the laboraton.- is called upon 

 to undertake. Figures published in the laboratory report 

 for 19 10 show that, out of a total capital expenditure of 

 about 103,000/., 40,000/. is due to Government grants. 

 while 54,000/. has been received from private sources and 

 as payment for work done ; and in view of these figures 

 the committee urge that the requ^sr for funds for the 

 much needed extension is one whir' favour- 



able consideration from the Treasii: 



The preceding paragraph is based on the report of the 

 executive committee of the laboratory to the general 

 board. We understand it was stated at the meeting that 

 an intimation has just been received from the Treasury 

 that the sum of 5000/. will be placed on the Estimates for 

 1911-12 towards rh*^ cost of the new buildings proposed. 

 The recognition thus afforded of the importance of the 

 work wlTich th*^ laboratory is doing is valuable, but the 

 sum is cli^arly insufiicient to enable the scheme which has 

 been prepared, the estimated expense of which is about 

 20,000/., to go forward immediately. It is, of course, 

 possible that some other generous donor may bp found 

 ready to assist the laboratory in its national work : the 

 electrotechnics building was providr-d by a gift of 5000/. 

 from Sir John Brunner, Mr. \. F. Yarrow has enabled 

 the national experimental tank to be constructed at a 

 cost of 20,000/.. and, as already stated. Sir Julius ^^'ernher 

 has recently giv.^n 10,000/. for the erection of the metal- 

 lurgy building, while others ha%e given large sums towards 

 the equipment of the laboratory. It is to be hoped that 

 the Royal Society and the governing board of the labora- 

 tory may find means which will enable them to provide, 

 without unnecessary delay, the additional buildings and 

 accommodation rendered necessary by the rapid develop- 

 ment of the work. 



NO. 2160, VOL. 86] 



