440 Equivalent Resistance of a Wire to Oscillatory Discharge* 



Fig. 2. — Instantaneous Form of Wave- train for fc = l, whence 

 R"/R / = 2-197. 



Figure 2 shows the form of a wave-train for which k = l 

 and K=2*197. That is to say, in this extreme case where 

 all the functions vary as e^' 1 ^, and the wave-train passing 

 a given point of the wire is accordingly represented by 

 e-^cospt, then the equivalent resistance is 2*197 times that 

 which would obtain for simple harmonic waves uniformly 

 sustained and of the same frequency. 



Figure 3 represents the form of the wave-trains generated 

 and used in some recent experiments on attenuation*. In 



this case the value of k was approximately vtc— , or the 



logarithmic decrement per wave =27rk = m 6, and the corre- 

 sponding value of K, the ratio of Bf'/R', is T054. Now in 



* "Attenuation of Electric Waves along a Line of Negligible Leakage," 

 Phil. Mag. Sept. 1898, pp. 296-805. 



