ELECTRIC DISCHARGE WITH THE CHLORIDE OF SILVER BATTERY. 101 
The condenser of 42' 8 is to that of 47’5 as 0'9434 to 1 ; the sectional area of the larger 
to the smaller wire is as 6 '25 to 1 ; so that the effect of the disruptive discharge of 
42'8 microfarads, with 3240 cells, as compared with that of 47 ‘5 microfarads, with 
1080 cells, is as 6 '6 2 to 1 for the same capacity. As the relation of the electric energy 
in the two cases is that of the capacity multiplied by the square of the potential, the 
quantity of wire deflagrated should be 0'9434X 3 2 =8'5 to 1. 
When inches of the same size wire, 0'0125 inch, of either platinum, gold, silver, 
copper, iron, zinc, or aluminium, is strained across and kept in close contact with a piece 
of plate glass, perforated with two holes to admit of screw clamps to press the ends of 
the wire tightly against it, and the charge sent through it, the wire is dispersed with 
a strong explosion, like that of a pistol, the metal being driven into and strongly 
adhering to the glass for some distance from the wire. The stain presents the 
appearance of lines of force, recalling magnetic lines, in consequence of the cloud or 
smoke-like stain being furrowed with lines converging towards the clamps. On exami- 
nation with the microscope, it was seen that minute globules of metal existed at the 
termination of the furrows, which they had evidently ploughed up through the 
cloud-like deposit, leaving a line of unstained glass. Several of these globules, of 
gold, were measured under the microscope with a spider-line micrometer, and the 
following diameters were obtained among others: — 0'00004, 0'00386, ‘00463, 0'009 
inch, they are all smaller than that of the wire exploded. The greater number were 
exceedingly minute, ending in a cloud-like stain too small to admit of measurement. 
All along the path of the discharge the deposit appears in cross striae, which remain 
visible on the disintegrated surface of the glass when the film of metal is dissolved ; 
the greatest dispersion is not close to the ends of the wire, but towards the middle, 
and was found to be — 
With gold, 0'5. 
0‘5. 
0‘55. 
0 ' 6 . 
of the total length of the wire from the positive pole. The plate when gold has been 
deflagrated exhibits the metal in the several varieties of ruby, green, and violet. 
The appearance of the stain of an exploded wire, suggested the thought of a stress 
at right angles to the path of the discharge ; and experiments were made in order to 
ascertain whether a wire was .either shortened in consequence of an expansion of its 
diameter, or lengthened by the particles being driven away from each other in the 
direction of its length by the discharge of 42' 8 microfarads charged with 3240 cells, but 
the results were entirely negative. The diagram, fig. 27, shows the arrangement of 
the apparatus. 
To the short end of a steel-yard L I/, whose relative lengths on each side cf the 
With silver, 0'3. With platinum, 0‘3. 
„ 0‘3. 
