322 PLACE OF A SOUND FROM A MUSICAL STRING. 



in the same manner as a bell, a drum, and a tambariae 

 may be called the seats of the sounds, which they impart 

 to the ear through the medium of the atmosphere. Though 

 I do not deny, that pulses are produced in the air hj 

 ' slender fibres in the act of vibration, I have long disputed 



ftie accuracy of the prevailing theory, without being able 

 io demonstrate the truth of the suspicion to my own satis- 

 faction. An accidental observation, however, attracted 

 my notice lately, which proves the string to be the exciting 

 cause; and shows, that the sound proceeds from the frame 

 or body of the instrument, in the same manner that the 

 sound of a bell proceeds from that vessel. The circum- 

 stance here alluded to suggested the following easy experi- 

 ments ; which any one may repeat^ who wishes to be con- 

 vinced of the fact by his own experience, 

 ywoexperi- lExp, 1. One end of an iron wire (No. 28) was fastened 



ments contra- ^^^ Yixzs,% knob screwed into a table of deal, and the 



dieting the re- ' 



ceived theory, other end was wrapped round a slender cylinder of yew ; 



four or five inches long. The wire measured six feet be- 

 twixt the knob and cylinder, and I stretched it with con- 

 siderable force, by holding the wooden pin in my hand, so as 

 io let no part of the string touch my fingers. The wire 

 being then made to vibrate, the sound^ produced on the 

 I occasion, came from the table; not only in my opinion, but 



1 also in the judgment of several persons, before whom the 



experiment has been repeated at different times. 



Exp. 2. If, in stretching the wire, one end of the yew 

 cylinder was made to press upon a second table, placed 

 five feet from that into which the brass knob was fixed, the 

 surface became the seat of sound, that supported my hand 

 and the wooden pin. But when the cylinder was removed to 

 a small distance from the table, on which it pressed, and 

 the wire was kept stretched at the same time, the sound was 

 heard instantaneously as in the first experiment proceeding 

 A well known fro^i the opposite table. It seems adviscable to remind the 

 fact stated. reader of a well known fact, before the inferences are 

 stated, which appear to be deducible from the preceding 

 experiments. When a number of sounds strike the ear at 

 the same time, one of which is much more powerful thaa 

 any of the rest ; all the weaker escape notice, and the seat 

 ♦f the strongest is alone recognised :. in more famUiar lan- 

 guage 



