HALL EFFECT IN THIN SILVER FILMS. 
J. C. STEINBERG 
{Abstract) 
The Hall Effect as a function of thickness has been investigated 
in chemically deposited films of silver, of thickness ranging from 
40 to 200 millimicrons, and the Hall Coefficient found to be inde- 
pendent of both magnetic field, for fields up 'to 20000 Gauss, and 
thickness. The specific resistance of the same films increases as 
much as 200 per cent for some of the thinner films. These results 
are in good agreement with those obtained by Dr. G. R. Wait last 
year. 
Observation would seem to indicate that the Hall Effect depends 
primarily upon the mass per unit area, rather than upon the par- 
ticular manner in which the particles of silver are deposited, pro- 
vided that the arrangement is sufficiently irregular to annul the 
possible effects due to the magnetic field of the atom. Irregular- 
ities in the mass per unit area, which are practically unavoidable 
in the chemical deposition method, account for much of the rather 
large experimental error. 
In order to test these observations, the work is being extended to 
films secured by evaporating silver wire, whereby it is hoped to se- 
cure a more uniform mass per unit area and a different film struc- 
ture. Attempts at crystalline growth in films probably will be made 
in order to find the effect of crystalline arrangement. There is 
considerable evidence that much of the explanation of disagree- 
ment between Electron Theory and experiment, may be found in 
considering the neglect of the theory to take into account the po- 
sition of the electron in the space lattice of the crystal. 
Physical Laboratory, 
State University oe Iowa. 
