These are two cylinders resting on a surface plate with their axes at
right angles to each other. Near to the highest point in each of these
cylinders, this point remaining nearly steady when the surface plate
is moved backwards and forwards, there is attached the end of a light
index. These indices are again pivoted a short distance from their ends
on axes connected with the surface plate. In order that the two indices
may be brought parallel, one is cranked at the second pivot.
_Ball and Plate Seismograph._—Another form of seismograph, which is
closely related to the two forms of apparatus just described, is
Verbeck’s ball and plate seismograph. This consists of a surface plate
resting on three hard spheres, which in turn rests upon a second
surface plate. When the lower plate is moved, the upper one tends to
remain at rest, and thus may be used as a steady mass to move an index.
_The Principle of Perry and Ayrton._—An instrument which is of interest
from the scientific principle it involves is a seismograph suggested
by Professors Perry and Ayrton, who propose to support a heavy ball on
three springs, which shall be sufficiently stiff to have an exceedingly
quick period of vibration. By means of pencils attached to the ball by
levers, the motions of the ball are to be recorded on a moving band of
paper. The result would be a record compounded of the small vibrations
of the springs superimposed on the larger, slower, wave-like motions
of the earthquake, and, knowing the former of these, the latter might
be separated by analysis. Although our present knowledge of earthquake
motion indicates that the analysis of such a record would often present
us with insuperable difficulties, this instrument is worthy of notice
on account of the novelty of the principle it involves, which, the
authors truly remark, has in seismometry been a ‘neglected’ one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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