CONTENTS 



CHAPTER III 



THE ROYAL INSTITUTION AND LOW-TEMPERATURE RESEARCHES 



The founding of the Royal Institution, p. 29 Count Rumford, p. 

 30 His plans for founding the Royal Institution, p. 32 Change 

 in the spirit of the enterprise after Rumford's death, p. 33 Atti- 

 tude of the earlier workers towards the question of heat as a form of 

 motion, p. 34 Experiments upon gases by Davy and Faraday, p. 

 35 Faraday's experiments with low temperatures, p. 39 Other 

 experiments to produce lower temperature, p. 39 Professor De- 

 war begins low - temperature research, p. 39 His liquefaction of 

 hydrogen, p. 43 Hampson's method of producing low tempera- 

 tures, p. 44 Dewar's invention of the vacuum vessel, p. 53 

 Its use in retaining liquefied gases, p. 54 Changes in physical 

 properties of substances at excessively low temperatures, p. 56 

 Magnetic phenomena at low temperatures, p. 56 Changes in the 

 color of substances at low temperatures, p. 57 Substances made 

 luminous by low temperatures, p. 58 Effect of low temperatures 

 upon the strength of materials, p. 59 Decrease of chemical activ- 

 ity at low temperatures, p. 60 Olzewski's experiments with burn- 

 ing substances in liquid oxygen, p. 61 Approach to the absolute 

 zero made by liquefying hydrogen, p. 69 Probable form of all 

 matter at the absolute zero, p. 70 Uncertain factors that enter 

 into this determination, p. 71. 



CHAPTER IV 



SOME PHYSICAL LABORATORIES AND PHYSICAL PROBLEMS 



Sir Norman Lockyer and Spectroscopic Studies of the Sun and 

 Stars, p. 73 Observations made at South Kensington by Sir 

 Norman and his staff, p. 74 His theories as to the influence of 

 sun-spots and terrestrial weather, p. 75 Spectroscopic studies of 

 sun-spots, p. 76 Studies of the so-called reverse lines of the spec- 

 trum, p. 78 Discovery of the new star in the constellation of 

 Perseus, p. 80 Spectroscopic studies of the new star, p. 81 

 Professor Ramsay and the new gases, p. 82 University College 

 in London, p. 83 Professor Ramsay's laboratory and its equip- 

 ment, p. 84 The discovery of argon, p. 86 Professor Ramsay's 

 work on krypton, neon, and zenon, p. 87 Discoveries of new 

 constituents of the atmosphere, p. 88 Interesting questions 

 raised by these discoveries, p. 89 Professor J. J. Thomson and the 

 nature of electricity, p. 92 Study of gases in relation to the con- 



iv 



