Scientific American Supplement, No. 460, October 25, 1884Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 460, October 25, 1884
Various
Science -- Periodicals
prevent them from moving will be mutual and opposite, and will be the same
as, but opposite in direction to, the mutual force systems required to hold
at rest two electromagnets fulfilling the following specification: The two
electro magnets are to be of the same shape and size as the two bodies, and
to be placed in the same relative positions, and to consist of infinitely
thin layers of electric currents in the surfaces of solids possessing
extreme diamagnetic quality--in other words, infinitely small permeability.
The distribution of electric current on each body may be any whatever which
fulfills the condition that the total current across any closed line drawn
on the surface once through the aperture is equal to ¼ [pi] of the
circulation[1] through the aperture in the hydro-kinetic analogue.
[Footnote 1: The integral of tangential component velocity all round any
closed curve, passing once through the aperture, is defined as the
"cyclic-constant" or the "circulation" ("Vortex Motion," § 60 (a), _Trans_.
R.S.E., April 29, 1867). It has the same value for all closed curves
passing just once through the aperture, and it remains constant through all
time, whether the solid body be in motion or at rest.]
It might be imagined that the action at a distance thus provided for by
fluid motion could serve as a foundation for a theory of the equilibrium,
and the vibrations, of elastic solids, and the transmission of waves like
those of light through an extended quasi-elastic solid medium. But
unfortunately for this idea the equilibrium is essentially unstable, both
in the case of magnets and, notwithstanding the fact that the forces are
oppositely directed, in the hydro-kinetic analogue also, when the several
movable bodies (two or any greater number) are so placed relatively as to
be in equilibrium. If, however, we connect the perforated bodies with
circulation through them in the hydro-kinetic system, by jointed rigid
connecting links, we may arrange for configurations of stable equilibrium.
Thus, without fly-wheels, but with fluid circulations through apertures, we
may make a model spring balance or a model luminiferous ether, either
without or with the rotational quality corresponding to that of the true
luminiferous ether in the magnetic fluid--in short, do all by the
perforated solids with circulations through them that we saw we could do by
means of linked gyrostats. But something that we cannot do by linked
gyrostats we can do by the perforated bodies with fluid circulation: we can
make a model gas. The mutual action at a distance, repulsive or attractive
according to the mutual aspect of the two bodies when passing within
collisional distance[1] of one another, suffices to produce the change of
direction of motion in collision, which essentially constitutes the
foundation of the kinetic theory of gases, and which, as we have seen
before, may as well be due to attraction as to repulsion, so far as we know
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account