2
e. m. clarke’s account of a series of experiments made
already pointed out. I therefore determined to arrange the magnets in the usual manner, which I shall proceed to explain. The arrangement is similar in every respect to that of the machines which I have been in the habit of constructing, the only difference consisting in the size of the instrument, and the means of communicating motion to the inductors — which in this machine is effected by a crank and treadle, similar to the lathe.
The experiments are fully detailed in a table which accompanies this paper. It may, however, be as well first to give a summary account of the principal experiments ; and in proceeding to do so, I feel it to be a duty to state, that I am indebted to a gentleman for his valuable suggestions, more particularly in reference to the substitution of wood for brass as a means of retaining the wires on the inductors. The gentleman to whom I allude, is Prof. Von Ettingshausen, of the University of Vienna. I have found the Professor’s suggestions truly valuable. In this magnetic machine, I have made use of ivory for the purpose above mentioned ; the brass plates, as the Professor suspected, giving rise to uncertain results owing to their conducting property.
I shall first proceed to notice, — the novel results of the experiments which I may briefly state to be, — first, the great amount of gases obtained in a given time by the Quantity inductor, a result which confirmed my opinion of the correctness of my original arrangement, although it must be confessed that my knowledge of the fact was very dearly gained, not only in a pecuniary point of view, — but also by the loss of a great amount of time and labour.
The second part to which I would request attention is, that I have never obtained any but a very trifling decomposing effect from the Intensity inductor, which will be at once perceived by an inspection of the table. It now becomes necessary that I should state, that the voltameter which was employed in the above experiments, was furnished with two slips of platina, an inch in length and three-eighths of an inch in breadth. It occurred to me, to vary the experiment by substituting fine pointed wires of platina, when the effects were materially altered, the decomposing power of the Intensity inductor being then increased at least five times. These results appear to me to be singular, and as I am entirely an experimentalist, I shall not attempt to theorise upon the subject.
The next experiments to which I shall briefly allude, relate to the different nature, or I should perhaps rather say, the different appearance of the spark with various modifications of the inductors.
With the Intensity inductor a long, straggling, noiseless spark is obtained, having much resemblance to the spark which passes from the prime conductor of an Electrical Machine to a conducting body placed at about the limit of what is called the striking distance.
The Quantity inductor gives a spark which not only has the usual stellar form, but is accompanied with a loud snapping noise resembling the discharge of a Leyden jar. It may be as well to remark, that although these distinctions exist between the sparks, they both appear equally luminous.
I now' beg to refer you to the table, which is arranged in such a form as to place at one view the results obtained by this arrangement of the Magneto-Electrical Machine.