32 REPORT—1904, 
considerable funds expended in the purchase and investigation of pure 
platinum wire, should lapse for want of support, and they trust that 
their recommendation in favour of the continuance of the work may 
this year be accepted. 
Meanwhile they would call attention to the very complete comparison 
up to a temperature of 1000° C. between the constant volume nitrogen 
thermometer, the platinum resistance thermometer, and the platinum— 
platinum-rhodium thermo couple communicated recently from the 
National Physical Laboratory to the Royal Society by Dr. Harker. 
The Committee have received a cordial invitation to co-operate in 
the Electrical Conference at St. Louis during the forthcoming autumn, 
and have asked Professor Perry and the Secretary, who are attending as 
delegates of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, to represent their 
views on two questions of special interest. 
The first of these relates to a proposal by Professor Carhart to substi- 
tute the saturated cadmium or Weston cell for the Clark cell as a recog- 
nised standard of E.M.F. The Committee are aware that the fact that the 
temperature coefficient of the cadmium cell is one-twentieth of that of the 
Clark cell offers many valuable advantages, but in view of the fact that 
experiments designed to lead up to a satisfactory specification of the cell 
are in progress at the National Physical Laboratory, and that the comple- 
tion of the Ampére balance would enable the absolute E.M.F. of the 
cell to be determined, the following resolution was passed at the last 
meeting :— 
‘The Committee are not prepared at present to displace the Clark cell, 
and prefer to wait for the conclusion of the experiments at the National 
Physical Laboratory, and with the new balance, before coming to a deci- 
sion as to the value to be assigned to the E.M.F. of the saturated cadmium 
cell,’ 
The second question relates to certain proposals as to nomenclature 
which are to be brought forward by Dr. Kenelley. These are : (A) that a 
systematic nomenclature should be agreed upon for magnetic units, and 
(B) that the prefix ‘Abs’ should be used to indicate that a unit is given 
in the absolute C.G.S8. electro-magnetic system, and ‘ Abstat’ to indicate 
that the unit in question is in the absolute C.G.S. electrostatic system. 
Thus an Abs volt would be the C.G.S. electro-magnetic unit of E.M.F. 
and ‘ Abstat’ volt the C.G.S. electrostatic unit of E.M.F. 
These proposals have been discussed by the Committee, which have 
agreed to the following resolution :— 
‘With regard to the choice of magnetic units the Committee are of 
opinion that the only two systems which need to be considered are the 
C.G.S, system and the Ampére-Volt-Ohm system, and that the quantities 
to be named, if any, are— 
1) Magnetic Potential. 
5 
(2) Magnetic Flux.! 
(3) Magnetic Reluctance. 
Of the above two alternatives the Committee are in favour of the CG.S. 
‘ The name ‘Maxwell’ was recommended by the Paris Congress, 1900, as the 
name of this unit, and this recommendation was adopted by the Committee at 
Bradford. 
