2G0 Prof. J. Trowbridge on the Oscillatory 



meut for blowing it out. On developing the photographs it 

 was found that the discharge was an oscillatory one, for as 

 many as five or six clearly defined oscillations followed the 

 first, or pilot discharge. The number of cells was then 

 doubled, and, although more difficulty was experienced with 

 the flaming discharge, oscillations were again obtained. 



Fisr. 1. 



On the supposition that each cell of the battery can be 

 regarded as a leaking condenser, and that it is equivalent in 

 capacity to a condenser shunted by a resistance equal to that 

 of the electrolyte, we can treat such a cell as a conducting 

 condenser under the influence during discharge of a periodic 

 current. The analysis of the well-known case is as follows: — 

 Let ABC and AEC be two circuits*, the current ABC 

 being a shunt to the circuit AEC which contains a con- 

 denser E. Let L be the coefficient of self-induction of ABC, 

 B, its resistance, C the capacity of the condenser in the cur- 

 rent AEC, and r the resistance of the wires leading to the 



* ' Elements of Electricity and Magnetism,' Prof. J. J. Thomson, p. 431. 



