MECHANICS OF THE INNER EAR 39 



ing that the actual irregularity might be less than the one 

 found here, is that in the graphic representation we have as- 

 sumed a movement made up of absolutely sudden, unpre- 

 pared jerks, with intervals of perfect rest between them. The 

 real movement is probably a more gradual change from rest 

 to motion and back to rest; and the result of this might 

 very well be an equalization of the time intervals preceding 

 the shocks received by the nerve ends. This, however, is not 

 offered as a solution of the problem, but merely as a sugges- 

 tion for the future investigator of this subject. 



Let us try another method of graphically representing 

 the movement of the partition under the provisional as- 

 sumptions made. This method has a cer- 

 e J tVioH ^^^^ disadvantage as compared with the 



of graphic method used above, in being less accurate 



representation of with regard to the time intervals, but, on 

 the movement of the other hand, the advantage of a greater 

 the partition simplicity for the constructor as well as 



for the reader. The extension of the par- 

 tition from the windows towards the apex of the cochlea is here 

 represented, not — 'as before — by the vertical, but by the hori- 

 zontal extension of the figure, from left to right. Figure 13 

 shows the method as applied to the same curve (Fig. 11) which 

 we have just discussed. The first thing we have to do is to 

 draw in the given curve (Fig. 11) at equal distances so many 

 lines parallel to the horizontal coordinate that each of the 

 maxima and minima can be regarded as lying on one of these 

 parallels. If this is not easily done, then any arbitrary number 

 of parallels may be drawn. But the drawing as well as 

 the interpretation of the new figure requires a little more atten- 

 tion in this case, because we have to consider fractions. In this 

 figure there are thirty equidistant lines drawn parallel to the 

 horizontal coordinate. A greater accuracy than this would 

 be entirel}' out of place, since our representation in any case 



