148 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 83. 



temperature, but where the work done is not 

 necessarily confined to overcoming pressure. 

 The coordinate used to define the state may be 

 of the most general type ; e. g., quantity of elec- 

 tricity, as used by Helmholtz. (2) Systems 

 whose state is defined by more than two coor- 

 dinates. An example of such a case would be 

 an electrolytic cell in which the effect of pres- 

 sure is not negligible. Professor Buckingham's 

 article gives an interesting discussion of the 

 graphical, as well as the analytical, treatment 

 of such cases. The article is one which will do 

 good, for the subject is one which must be pre- 

 sented in many different forms, as well as with 

 great clearness, if our text-books are to be freed 

 from the hazy and unsound treatments of Ther- 

 modynamics with which they now abound. 



The Refractive Index and Reflecting Power of 

 Water and Alcohol for Electric Waves : By A. 

 D. Cole. In preliminary work the index of re- 

 fraction for waves 260 cm. long was found to 

 be 8.95 for water and 5.24 for alcohol. These 

 results are in fair agreement with values ob- 

 tained by other observers, as well as with the 

 values computed according to Maxwell's theory 

 from the dielectric constants. Using much 

 shorter waves (5 cm.) Prof. Cole then again de- 

 termined the indices, the object being to find at 

 what wave-length dispersion begins. The ab- 

 sorption of both liquids was so great that a 

 prism method could not be used, even with the 

 delicate means at hand for detecting and meas- 

 uring the waves. The method finally adopted 

 depended upon the measurement of the reflect- 

 ing power of the two liquids. The index was 

 then computed by Fresnel's formula. The 

 values obtained were 8.85 for water and 3.2 for 

 alcohol. It thus appears that there is consider- 

 able dispersion by alcohol between the wave- 

 lengths 260 and 5 cm. 



A Neiv Electrolytic Generator for Oxygen and 

 Hydrogen: By W. S. Franklin. 



An Apparatus for Illustrating the Laws of Fall- 

 ing Bodies : By H. M. Randall and W. A. 

 Maekey. 



Books reviewed : Gray and Mathews Bes- 

 sel Functions; Groth, Physikalische Krystal- 

 lographie ; Jahn, Grmidriss der Thermochemie ; 

 Preston, Light. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



NORTH CAROLINA SECTION OF THE AMERICAN 

 CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 



The second meeting of the North Carolina 

 Section of the American Chemical Society was 

 held in Chapel Hill, N. C, on July 7, 1896. 

 The Secretary reported ten new members as 

 received since the last meeting. After the 

 transaction of some routine business the follow- 

 ing papers were read: 'Crystallized Alumin- 

 ium,' by F. P. Venable; 'The Detection and 

 Purification of Saccharin,' by B. W. Kilgore; 

 'Reduction of Sulphuric Acid,' by C. Basker- 

 ville; 'A Comparison in Digestibility of Raw 

 and Steamed Cotton Seed,' by J. A. Bizzell and 

 A. H. Prince; 'An Attempt to Form Some 

 Organic Compounds of Zirconium,' by Thos. 

 Clarke; ' The Determination of Sulphur in the 

 Presence of Iron,' by W. A. Withers and R. 

 G. Mewborne; ' The Action of Phosphorus 

 Trichloride upon an Ethereal Solution of Hy- 

 drogen Dioxide,' by W. A. Withers and G. S. 

 Fraps; ' Some Difficulties in the Way of the 

 Periodic Law,' by F. P. Yenable. The Section 

 then adjourned to meet in Raleigh next winter. 

 The Section has doubled its numbers in less 

 than six months. 



NEW BOOKS. 



HerharVs A B Cof Sense — Perception and Minor 

 Pedagogical Works. Translated with Intro- 

 duction, Notes and Commentary, by William 

 J. EcKOFF. New York, D. Appleton & 

 Co. 1896. Pp. xviii+288. $1.50. 



Chrundriss einer exacten Schbpfungsgeschichte. 

 By Hermann Habenicht. Wien, Pest, 

 Leipzig, A. Hartleben. Pp. viii+135. Plates 

 vii. 



Tenth Report of the New York State Entomologist, 

 for the year 1894. J- A. LiNTNER. Albany, 

 Univers'ity of the State of New York. 1895. 

 Pp. 341-633. 



Manual of Midwifery. W. E. Fothergill. 

 New York and London, Macmillan & Co. 

 1896. Pp. xiiii+484. $2.25. 



The Monetary and Banking Problem. Logan G. 

 McPherson. New York, D. Appleton & 

 Co. 1896. Pp. iv+135. $1.00. 



