﻿Electrical 
  Discharges. 
  243. 
  

  

  found 
  that 
  the 
  electrostatic 
  effect 
  was 
  very 
  disturbing 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  

   distance 
  of 
  twenty 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  spark 
  terminals, 
  when 
  these 
  

   terminals 
  were 
  six 
  feet 
  apart. 
  The 
  disturbance 
  diminished 
  as 
  

   the 
  terminals 
  were 
  brought 
  nearer 
  together. 
  The 
  minimum 
  

   of 
  the 
  curve 
  representing 
  this 
  disturbance 
  coincided 
  with 
  the 
  

   minimum 
  of 
  the 
  curve 
  representing 
  the 
  explosive 
  effect. 
  On 
  

   the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  magnetic 
  waves 
  on 
  the 
  coherer 
  

   becomes 
  regular 
  beyond 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  twenty 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  electrostatic 
  effect 
  is 
  evidently 
  some 
  function 
  of 
  the 
  

   electrical 
  density 
  on 
  the 
  terminals 
  of 
  the 
  spark 
  gap 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   coatings 
  of 
  the 
  condenser. 
  The 
  following 
  experiments 
  illus- 
  

   trate 
  this 
  dependence 
  of 
  the 
  sparking 
  distance 
  upon 
  this 
  

   density. 
  A 
  chronograph 
  cylinder 
  was 
  provided 
  with 
  two 
  

   pointers 
  S 
  and 
  S', 
  fig. 
  3, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  connected 
  to 
  one 
  coat- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  a 
  condenser 
  C, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  coating 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  

   was 
  joined 
  to 
  the 
  metal 
  cylinder 
  of 
  the 
  chronograph. 
  The 
  

   coatings 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  were 
  charged 
  through 
  an 
  adjustable 
  

   very 
  large 
  liquid 
  resistance 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  ten 
  thousand 
  cells 
  B. 
  

   The 
  other 
  pointer 
  was 
  connected 
  with 
  one 
  terminal 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  

   Euhmkorff 
  coil 
  I, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  terminal 
  wire 
  of 
  the 
  coil 
  was 
  

   led 
  to 
  the 
  cylinder 
  of 
  the 
  chronograph. 
  The 
  primary 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ruhmkorff 
  coil 
  was 
  interrupted 
  by 
  a 
  second 
  pendulum 
  which 
  

   broke 
  the 
  circuit 
  at 
  S. 
  The 
  pointers 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  carriage. 
  

   When 
  this 
  was 
  released, 
  the 
  pointers 
  drew 
  lines 
  on 
  blackened 
  

   paper, 
  fig. 
  4, 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  chronograph 
  cylinder 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  discharges 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  in 
  one 
  second 
  

   could 
  be 
  estimated. 
  With 
  small 
  resistance 
  between 
  the 
  battery 
  

   and 
  the 
  plates 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  discharges 
  in 
  a 
  

   second 
  was 
  very 
  great. 
  This 
  number 
  decreased 
  as 
  the 
  resist- 
  

   ance 
  increased, 
  and 
  was 
  approximately 
  inversely 
  proportional 
  

   to 
  this 
  resistance. 
  The 
  condensers 
  were 
  of 
  glass, 
  of 
  rubber, 
  

   and 
  an 
  air 
  condenser 
  was 
  also 
  employed. 
  In 
  every 
  case 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  discharges 
  was 
  inversely 
  proportional 
  to 
  the 
  resist- 
  

   ance 
  between 
  one 
  plate 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  and 
  the 
  battery. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  frequency 
  of 
  the 
  discharge 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  

   depended 
  upon 
  the 
  resistance 
  between 
  one 
  plate 
  of 
  the 
  con- 
  

   denser 
  and 
  the 
  battery, 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  energy 
  of 
  the 
  

   battery 
  was 
  employed 
  to 
  charge 
  the 
  condenser 
  to 
  a 
  sufi&cient 
  

   surface 
  density 
  to 
  enable 
  a 
  spark 
  to 
  be 
  formed. 
  A 
  portion 
  of 
  

   this 
  energy 
  was 
  wasted. 
  This 
  silent 
  discharge 
  can 
  be 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  ionization. 
  The 
  condenser 
  with 
  its 
  terminals 
  

   forms 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  voltaic 
  cell 
  with 
  a 
  phenomenon 
  of 
  polariza- 
  

   tion. 
  If 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  condenser 
  was 
  increased, 
  the 
  

   effect 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  produced 
  by 
  increasing 
  the 
  resist- 
  

   ance, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  diminishing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  discharges 
  in 
  a 
  

   second. 
  The 
  energy 
  of 
  each 
  discharge 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  was 
  not 
  

  

  