﻿624 Notices respecting JSew Books. 



in Mr. Hughes' experiments the glass must have been consi- 

 derably heated over the regions upon which the metallic films 

 were condensed. If this heating process was kept up for 

 some time the glass in these regions probably became nega- 

 tively electrified, and accordingly lessened the electropositive 

 inductive effect of the metallic films upon the plate connected 

 to the electrometer. As the glass cooled off, its charge 

 diffused slowly and the metallic films appeared to become 

 more electropositive. The admission of a small amount of air, 

 by lowering the insulation of the high vacuum, would then 

 enable the negative charge on the glass to diffuse more rapidly. 

 Stanford University, Cal. 

 Dec. 26, 1914. 



LXV. Notices respecting JSew Boohs. 

 Bulletin of the Bureau of Standards. Vol. X. (1914). 

 "Washington : Government Printing Office. 

 nPHIS volume of the Bulletin (Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4) exhibits the- 

 -*- great activity of the Bureau. It contains amongst other 

 papers the following: — (i.) Constants of Spectral Radiation of a 

 uniformly heated enclosure, by W. W. Coblentz, in which are 

 described experiments with enclosures with white and with black 

 walls, which yield as mean values of Planck's constants : C = 

 14456 + 4 micron deg. ; A=2911 micron deg. (results of 94 energy 

 curves), (ii.) Melting-points of the refractory elements of atomic 

 weight from 48 to 59, by Gr. K. Burgess and E. G-. Waltenberg. 

 The summary results for the probable melting-points of the pure- 

 elements are: nickel 1452 +3, cobalt 1478 + 5, iron 1530 + o r 

 manganese 1260 + 20, chromium 1520 to > iron?, vanadium 1720 

 + 30, titanium 1795 + 15. (iii.) Latent heat of fusion of ice, 

 by H. N. Dickinson, D. R. Harper, and N. S. Osborne. Pinal 

 result (mean of 21 determinations) 7963 cal ]5 per gram. Mean 

 of experiments by electrical method/ 79*65, by method of mixtures 

 79-61 +-02 ; electrical method (second set, ice at — 3°78), 79-65. 

 (iv.) Melting-points of some refractory oxides, bv C. W. Kanolt. 

 (v.) The pentane lamp as a working standard, by E. C. Crittenden 

 and A. H. Taylor. (vi.) Comparison of the silver and iodine 

 voltameters and the determination of the Faraday, by G-. W. 

 Yinal and St. J. Bates. Results : E. Ch. Eq. of iodine 1 -31502 ; 

 value of Paraday (iodine=126-92) 96515; (Ag=107'88) 96494. 

 Recommended value for general use, 96500. (vii.) Production of 

 temperature uniformity in an electric furnace, by A. W. Gray. 

 (viii.) The silver voltameter, by E. B. Bosa, Gr. W. Yinal, and 

 A. S. McDaniel. (ix.) Plame standards in Photometry, by E. B. 

 Rosa and E. C. Crittenden. 



The Bureau publishes these papers in separate form ; also 

 a set of technological papers. Amongst its recent circulars are 

 one on the testing of barometers and a valuable one on Polarimetry 

 (i. e. of sugars). It has also just published a decennial index to- 

 the Bulletin (Vols. 1-10). 



