Mr . cavendish on the Torpedo. 203 
was rather greater than that of the tingle jar; but the 
diftance to which the fpark would fly was only half as 
great. 
Hence it appears, that the fpark from four jars, all of 
the fame lize, will not dart to quite half fo great a dif- 
tance as that from one of thofe jars electrified in fucli a 
degree as to give a fliock of equal violence; and confe- 
quently the diftance to which the fpark will fly is in- 
verfely in a rather greater proportion than the fquare 
root of the number of jars, fuppofing them to be electri- 
fied in fucli a degree that the fliock fliall be of a given 
ftrength. It muft be obferved, that in the laft men- 
tioned experiment, the quantity of eleCtric fluid which 
pafled through my body was twice as great in taking the 
fliock of the four jars, as in taking that of the Angle one; 
but the force with which it was impelled was evidently 
lefs, and I think we may conclude, was only half as great. ~ 
If fo, it appears that a given quantity of eleClricitv, im- 
pelled through our body with a given force, produces a 
rather lefs fliock than twice that quantity, impelled with 
half that force; and confequently, the ftrength of the 
fliock depends rather more on the quantity of fluid 
which pafles through our body, than on the force with 
which it is impelled. 
That no one could ever perceive the fliock to be ac- 
companied with any attraCiion or repul Aon, does not feem 
extraordinary ; for as the eledricity of the torpedo is dif- 
Apated by efcaping through or over the furface of its 
body, the inftant it is produced, a pair of pith balls- 
D d 2 fuf- 
