114 THE DISSIPATION OF ENERGY 



then if log (x+a) be plotted against log y, the corresponding 

 points will lie on a straight line which intersects the axis 



FIGURE 1 Brass at 275 C. a=100 n=-86 



80 



90 Logy 1-0 



1-1 



along which log y is measured at an angle whose tangent is n, 

 provided that the proper value of a be inserted. The actual 

 value of this constant to be added to x depends upon the 

 interval which elapses after starting the experiment until the 

 first reading is taken. A rough idea of the value of a to be 

 taken is got from the curve with scale readings as ordinates 

 and number of oscillations as abscissae, when the distance 



