﻿Resistance 
  of 
  Gases 
  during 
  an 
  Oscillatory 
  Discharge. 
  337 
  

  

  an 
  extremely 
  low 
  resistance 
  to 
  the 
  oscillatory 
  discharge 
  of 
  

   electricity, 
  and 
  Jaumann* 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  u 
  electric 
  strength" 
  of 
  

   a 
  gas 
  increased 
  as 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  electricity 
  diminished. 
  But 
  

   all 
  earlier 
  accurate 
  measurements 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  with 
  contin- 
  

   uous 
  currents, 
  whose 
  relations 
  are 
  \erv 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  sudden 
  discharge 
  of 
  a 
  condenser 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  studied. 
  

   The 
  continuous 
  current 
  meets 
  with 
  great 
  opposition, 
  especially 
  

   at 
  the 
  negative 
  electrode, 
  where 
  much 
  heat 
  is 
  developed. 
  

   The 
  oscillatory 
  discharge 
  meets 
  with 
  very 
  little 
  opposition, 
  

   and 
  correspondingly 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  here 
  the 
  greatest 
  heat 
  is 
  

   developed 
  in 
  the 
  gas 
  itself, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  capillary 
  tube, 
  

   the 
  electrodes 
  remaining 
  comparatively 
  cool. 
  This 
  experiment 
  

   we 
  have 
  tried 
  repeatedly, 
  sending 
  exactly 
  equal 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   electricity 
  through 
  the 
  tube 
  in 
  each 
  fashion, 
  and 
  observing 
  

   great 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  heating 
  effects. 
  Moreover, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   continuously 
  glowing 
  gas 
  itself, 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  electrodes, 
  the 
  

   potential 
  differencej 
  if 
  due 
  to 
  resistance 
  alone, 
  corresponds 
  to 
  

   a 
  vastly 
  greater 
  resistance 
  than 
  that 
  opposed 
  to 
  the 
  condenser 
  

   discharge, 
  according 
  to 
  Hittorf's 
  results, 
  already 
  quoted. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  electricity 
  going 
  through 
  the 
  

   tube 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  time 
  is 
  almost 
  incredibly 
  different 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  

   cases. 
  This 
  difference 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  enough 
  emphasized 
  in 
  the 
  

   literature 
  upon 
  the 
  subject, 
  Supposing 
  that 
  the 
  battery 
  and 
  

   other 
  resistance 
  are 
  so 
  regulated 
  as 
  to 
  supply 
  a 
  milliampere 
  of 
  

   current, 
  and 
  the 
  condenser 
  is 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  size 
  that 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  

   connected 
  the 
  spark 
  passes 
  ten 
  times 
  a 
  second. 
  These 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  frequently 
  those 
  of 
  our 
  experiments. 
  The 
  spark, 
  

   judging 
  from 
  our 
  photographs, 
  certainly 
  does 
  not 
  last 
  more 
  

   than 
  one 
  millionth 
  of 
  a 
  second, 
  hence 
  the 
  current 
  strength 
  at 
  

   the 
  instant 
  of 
  the 
  discharge 
  must 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  100,000 
  times 
  as 
  

   great 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  continuous 
  discharge 
  without 
  the 
  conden- 
  

   ser, 
  or 
  must 
  amount 
  to 
  100 
  amperes. 
  

  

  Jaumann's 
  observation 
  that 
  the 
  opposition 
  to 
  the 
  current 
  is 
  

   less 
  as 
  the 
  current 
  increases, 
  and 
  our 
  conclusion 
  (III) 
  that 
  the 
  

   resistance 
  is 
  less 
  with 
  the 
  larger 
  capacity, 
  are 
  in 
  reality 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  represented 
  as 
  the 
  two 
  extremities 
  of 
  a 
  

   long 
  curve. 
  This 
  curve 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  relation 
  of 
  

   milliamperes 
  to 
  megohms 
  on 
  one 
  end. 
  and 
  of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

   amperes 
  to 
  ohms 
  upon 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  curve 
  

   between 
  these 
  two 
  extremities 
  is 
  very 
  hard 
  to 
  investigate 
  with 
  

   our 
  present 
  means, 
  and 
  indeed 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  behave 
  differently 
  

   with 
  different 
  gases. 
  For 
  these 
  two 
  conditions 
  are 
  represented 
  

   in 
  any 
  given 
  case 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  spectra 
  of 
  the 
  gases, 
  and 
  as 
  we 
  

   increase 
  the 
  current 
  we 
  observe 
  varying 
  relations 
  between 
  

   these 
  spectra. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  the 
  spectrum 
  of 
  four 
  

  

  * 
  Sitz. 
  Berichte. 
  Wien 
  AkacL. 
  vol. 
  xcvii. 
  p. 
  7 
  65. 
  

  

  