﻿Ionization 
  and 
  Wireless 
  Telegraphy. 
  569 
  

  

  further 
  increasing 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  leak, 
  this 
  increase 
  of 
  

   frequency 
  of 
  the 
  circuit 
  reaches 
  a 
  maximum, 
  falls 
  off 
  to 
  zero, 
  

   and 
  then 
  changes 
  sign. 
  

  

  Some 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mathematical 
  results 
  was 
  anticipated 
  by 
  

   general 
  considerations, 
  and 
  other 
  steps 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  taken 
  

   after 
  the 
  suggestion 
  is 
  supplied. 
  Thus, 
  it 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  see 
  that, 
  

   when 
  the 
  condenser 
  is 
  being 
  discharged 
  by 
  the 
  current 
  in 
  

   the 
  metal] 
  ic 
  circuit, 
  the 
  leakage 
  current 
  will 
  assist 
  this 
  

   discharge 
  and 
  so 
  tend 
  to 
  diminish 
  the 
  period 
  and 
  increase 
  

   the 
  frequency. 
  But, 
  when 
  the 
  condenser 
  is 
  being 
  charged, 
  

   the 
  leak 
  retards 
  the 
  process 
  and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  this 
  goes, 
  tends 
  to 
  

   increase 
  the 
  period 
  and 
  diminish 
  the 
  frequency. 
  Hence, 
  the 
  

   preponderance 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  effect 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  may 
  fitly 
  be 
  

   expected 
  to 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  leakance 
  

   and 
  the 
  constants 
  involved, 
  some 
  critical 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  leakance 
  

   giving 
  no 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  frequency. 
  

  

  The 
  experiments 
  carried 
  out 
  so 
  far 
  support 
  this 
  theoretical 
  

   conclusion, 
  that 
  varying 
  ionizations 
  (produced 
  by 
  X-rays 
  or 
  

   radium) 
  may 
  either 
  increase 
  or 
  decrease 
  the 
  frequency 
  of 
  the 
  

   circuit 
  in 
  question 
  according 
  as 
  the 
  leakance 
  produced 
  is 
  

   small 
  or 
  large. 
  

  

  The 
  observed 
  changes 
  in 
  apparent 
  capacity 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  

   order 
  one 
  in 
  a 
  thousand 
  for 
  frequencies 
  of 
  about 
  two 
  million 
  

   per 
  second. 
  The 
  work 
  accordingly 
  yields 
  some 
  experimental 
  

   support 
  to 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Eccles 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  

   electric 
  waves 
  round 
  the 
  curvature 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   ionization 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  atmosphere. 
  

  

  Theory 
  of 
  Discharge 
  of 
  Leaky 
  Condenser. 
  

  

  Consider 
  the 
  circuit 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  1, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  con- 
  

   denser 
  of 
  capacity 
  S 
  is, 
  at 
  time 
  t, 
  charged 
  by 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1.— 
  Leaky 
  Condenser 
  Circuit. 
  

  

  K 
  L 
  

  

  electricity 
  Q 
  to 
  a 
  potential 
  difference 
  Y 
  and, 
  at 
  that 
  instant, 
  

   yields 
  a 
  current 
  C 
  through 
  the 
  metallic 
  resistance 
  K 
  of 
  

   inductance 
  L 
  and, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  instant, 
  suffers 
  the 
  leakage 
  

   current 
  I 
  through 
  the 
  dielectric 
  whose 
  leakance 
  (or 
  leakage 
  

   conductance) 
  is 
  N, 
  its 
  inductance 
  being 
  negligible. 
  

  

  