334 Mayer — Electric Potential as measured by Work. 



Art. XLII. — On Electric Potential as measured by Work; 



by Alfred M. Mayer. 



[Read before the National Academy of Sciences, November 10th, 1887.] 

 The object of this paper is to give a demonstration of the 

 fact that the potential, Y,= — = — =~; when Q=quantity, 



C = capacity, r= radius in cms. of charged sphere, and d= dis- 

 tance in cms. of centers of two charged spheres. 



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It occurred to me that this problem could be presented in a 

 direct and clear manner by supposing an electrically chafged 

 sphere fixed in space with its center at O, (see fig.), and that an- 

 other sphere charged with a unit of similar electricity is pushed 

 toward O from an infinite distance, along the line OX, and 

 that the electric strain on the moving sphere causes (without 

 work) a vertical rod to slide out of its top in proportion as the 

 stress between the spheres increases. As the sphere progresses 

 along OX it will thus mark at each point of its progress the 



