The book of wonders : $b gives plain and simple answers to the thousands of everyday questions that are asked and which all should be able to, but cannot answer...
Science
The book of wonders : $b gives plain and simple answers to the thousands of everyday questions that are asked and which all should be able to, but cannot answer...
Curiosities and wonders; Encyclopedias and dictionaries; Questions and answers; Science -- Miscellanea; Technology -- Miscellanea
The rays of light from “A” pass in a straight line through the lens
“B” until they are interrupted by “C,” upon which they strike, forming
an upside down image of the object “A.” But, you exclaim, “we do not
see things upside down.” No, we do not, because some mental process
readjusts this during the passing of the impression from the eye to our
brain.
Let us suppose we have our camera loaded with its sensitive plate or
film. We select some object or view we wish to photograph, uncover
the lens for an instant, and let the light impress the image upon the
sensitive surface of the plate or film. Now, how are we going to make
this image permanent?
If we were to examine the creamy yellow strip of film upon which the
picture was taken there would seemingly be no difference between its
present appearance and before the snapshot was made.
Now let us suppose that this strip of film is a little trundle bed, and
in it tucked securely away from the light are many hundreds of little
chaps called silver bromides, little roly-poly fellows lying just as
close together as possible, and protected by a coverlet of pure white
gelatine.
~HOW A PHOTOGRAPH IS DEVELOPED~
Until the sudden flash of light in their faces when the picture was
taken, they have been content to lie still and sleep soundly. Now
they are seized with a strange unrest, and each little atom is eager
to do his part in showing your picture to the world. Alone they are
powerless, but they have, all unbeknown to them, some powerful chemical
friends, who, organized and aided by the photographer, will bring
about their transformation. These chemicals, with the help of the
photographer, form themselves into a society called the developer.
The photographer takes just so many of the tiny feathery crystals of
pyro, just so many of the clear little atoms of sulphite of soda, and
just so many little crystals of carbonate of soda, and tumbles them
all into a beaker of clear cold water. Unaided by each other, any one
of these chemicals would be powerless to help their little bromide
of silver friends. The first of these chemicals to go to work is the
carbonate of soda.
He tiptoes softly over to the trundle bed and gently begins turning
back the gelatine covers over the little bromide of silver chaps, so
that Pyro can find them in the dark.
It is Pyro’s mission to transform the little silver bromides into
silver metal, but he is rather an impulsive chap, so he is accompanied
by sulphite of soda, who warns him not to be too rough, and whose sole
mission is to strain his eagerness to help his friends.
“Go slow now,” says Sulphite, “don’t frighten the little silver
bromides, or else you’ll make them cuddle up in heaps, and the picture
won’t be as nice as if you wake them up gently and each little bromide
stayed just where he belonged.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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