Hertzian Wave Wireless TelegraphyFleming, J. A. (John Ambrose), Sir
Science
Hertzian Wave Wireless Telegraphy
Fleming, J. A. (John Ambrose), Sir
Electric waves; Telegraph, Wireless
We may, in the next place, refer to that form of kumascope in which
the action of the wave or of electromotive force is not to decrease
the resistance of a contact, but to increase that of an imperfect
contact. As already mentioned, Professor Branly discovered long ago
that peroxide of lead acts in an opposite manner to metallic filings,
in that when placed in a Branly tube it increases its resistance under
the action of an electric spark, instead of decreasing it. Again,
Professor Bose has found that fragments of metallic potassium in
kerosene oil behave in a similar manner, and that certain varieties of
silver, antimony and of arsenic, and a few other metals, have a
similar property. Branly tubes, therefore, made with these materials,
or any arrangements which act in a similar manner, have been called
"anti-coherers." The most interesting arragement which has been called
by this name is that of Schäfer.[49] Schäfer's kumascope is made in
the following manner: A very thin film of silver is deposited upon
glass, and a strip of this silver is scratched across with a diamond,
making a fine transverse cut or gap. If the resistance of this divided
strip of silver is measured, it will be found not to be infinite, but
may have a resistance as low as forty or fifty ohms if the strip is
thirty millimetres wide. On examining the cut in the strip with a
microscope, it will be found that the edges are ragged and that there
are little particles of silver lying about in the gap. If, then, an
electromotive force of three volts or more is put on the two separated
parts of the strip, these little particles of silver fly to and fro
like the pith balls in a familiar electrical experiment, and they
convey electricity across from side to side. Hence a current passes
having a magnitude of a few milliamperes. If, however, the strip is
employed as a kumascope and connected at one end to the earth and at
the other end to an aerial, when electric waves fall upon the aerial,
the electrical oscillations thereby excited seem to have the property
of stopping this dance of silver particles and the resistance of the
gap is increased several times, but falls again when the wave ceases.
If, therefore, a telephone and battery are connected between two
portions of the strip, the variation of this battery current will
affect the telephone in accordance with the waves which fall upon the
aerial, and the arrangement becomes therefore a wave-detecting device.
It is said to have been used in wireless telegraph experiments in
Germany up to a distance of ninety-five kilometres.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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