208 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 475. 



Primitive Conditions in the Solar Nebula: 

 Feancis E. Niphee, Washington Uni- 

 versity. 



The writer has used the equations de- 

 veloped in his paper forming No. 5, Vol. 

 XIII., of the Transactions of the Academy 

 of Science of St. Loiiis, for computing the 

 numerical values throughout the primitive 

 solar nebula. He finds that the resulting 

 density and pressure, if the nebula be as- 

 sumed a gas, filling the Volume internal to 

 Neptune's orbit, is incompatible with 

 known physical conditions. The author 

 concludes that the solar nebula was com- 

 posed of discontinuous masses of solid mat- 

 ter during most of its early life. It was 

 only in its later stages that gravitating 

 compression caused the central mass now 

 called the sun to fuse and vaporize. 



On the Investigation of the Kinetic Theory 

 of Gases by Elementary Methods : Heney 

 T. Eddy, University of Minnesota. 

 This paper establishes some of the prin- 

 cipal results of the kinetic theory of gases, 

 such as the mean frequency of collision, the 

 mean free path, the number of molecules 

 striking a given area per second, the ratio 

 of the specific heats, etc., on the assump- 

 tion of a given constant velocity for all 

 molecules, by simple semi-geometrical 

 methods. 



A Demonstration to disprove the Seco7id 

 Law of Thermodynamics: Jacob Wain- 

 weight, Chicago. 



Paper published in full by the author. 

 At the 1902 meeting, at Pittsburg, the 

 author presented to the members of the 

 section a demonstration having substan- 

 tially this same title. That particular 

 demonstration was based upon a phe- 

 nomenon disclosed by the published re- 

 search work of Emile Hillaire Amagat, of 

 Paris, viz., 'At or about an absolute tem- 

 perature of 274°, and at pressures above 

 the critical pressure, carbon dioxide be- 



comes practically or absolutely incom- 

 pressible or inert, as regards the influence 

 of pressure alone.' The demonstration 

 was confronted by the suggestion that 

 Amagat 's work should be thoroughly 

 verified before it could be accepted as evi- 

 dence to effect a so important revolution 

 in physical and chemical science. In order 

 to overcome such difficulty, the subject 

 was presented in a simple manner free 

 from all questions of quantitative analysis 

 and unverified matter. The pressure con- 

 dition of a practically perfect gas is 

 manipulated and transformed, and all 

 postulations, except the 'first law' of con- 

 servation of energy, which is properly a 

 postulation in a strict sense, but has been 

 thoroughly verified as it relates to the 

 various phenomena which contribute to 

 this demonstration, are dispensed with. 

 Maxwell questioned the validity of the 

 'second law,' but failed in his attempts to 

 devise a material or real cycle to effect a 

 refutation; and as a last resource, invoked 

 his demon and kinetic theory combination. 

 This particular problem was solved by de- 

 vising a working medium consisting of a 

 combination of a gas and solid matter; the 

 solid matter being arranged so as to con- 

 stitute a complete heat engine in itself and 

 having the peculiar property of trans- 

 muting heat into work by reason of either 

 a rise or a fall in temperature. In this 

 manner is produced a working medium 

 which, taken as a whole, is not amenable to 

 the 'second law.' 



The Continuous Method of Steam Calorim,- 

 etry: Joseph H. Hart, University of 

 Pennsylvania. 



The continuous method of steam calo- 

 rimetry here outlined is capable of meas- 

 uring readily latent and specific heats of 

 fluids with a degree of accuracy seldom at- 

 tained by other methods, even though they 

 be made with the greatest refinement in 

 the method and observations. If a stream 



