The Annual of Scientific Discovery, Or, Year-book of Facts in Science and ArtGould and Lincoln, 1865 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
action ammonia amount animal apparatus appear atmosphere bodies boiler bones British Association carbonic acid cause chemical color comets condensation consists constructed containing cooling copper cylinder deposit diameter disc discovery distance earth effect electric engine equal existence experiments fact feet force geological glass graphite gun-cotton guns heat hight hydrogen idocrase inches increased invisible rays iron John Herschel larvæ length light lines liquid London magnetic mass matter means metal metric system miles nebula nitrogen observations obtained ordinary oxyd oxygen paper passed period phenomena photograph pipe planets plate portion potash pounds present pressure prism produced Prof proportion quantity rays recently remarkable rocks salt says shot side silicates solar solid solution specific gravity spectrum spermaceti stars steam steel substance sulphuric acid surface temperature thick tion tube vapor velocity vessel vis viva weight wire zinc
Popular passages
Page 260 - In place of an incandescent solid or liquid body transmitting light of all refrangibilities through an atmosphere which intercepts by absorption a certain number of them, such as our sun appears to be, we must probably regard these objects, or at least their photo-surfaces, as enormous masses of luminous gas or vapour ; for it is alone from matter in the gaseous state that light consisting of certain definite refrangibilities only, as is the case with these nebulae, is known to be emitted.
Page 306 - At a recent meeting of the Boston Society of Natural History, Dr. CT Jackson announced the discovery of an apparently inexhaustible mine of emery in the town of Chester, Western Massachusetts, on the line of the Springfield and Albany railroad. For some time the existence of magnetic iron-ore was recognized in this locality, and the deposit worked to some extent, but on examination, Dr. Jackson found that the ore in questionjvas in great part pure emery. The principal bed i» in some places ten feet...
Page 126 - A little warm water projected against the bar causes the image to descend gradually. This, I believe, is the first time that this action of magnetism has been seen by a public audience. I have employed the same apparatus in the examination of bismuth bars ; and, though considerable power has been applied, I have hitherto failed to produce any sensible effect. It was at least conceivable that complementary effects might be here exhibited, and a new antithesis thus established between magnetism and...
Page 113 - The combining atoms, hitherto spoken of, are not therefore the molecules of which the movement is sensibly affected by heat, with gaseous expansion as the result. The gaseous molecule must itself be viewed as composed of a group or system of the preceding inferior atoms, following, as a unit, laws similar to those which regulate its constituent atoms. We have, indeed, carried one step backward, and applied to the lower order of atoms, ideas suggested by the gaseous molecule...
Page x - Up to this very day, there come to me persons of good education, men and women, quite fit for all that you expect from education : they come to me, and they talk to me about things that belong to natural science ; about mesmerism, table-turning, flying through the air ; about the laws of gravity : they come to me to ask me questions ; and they insist against me, who think I know a little of these laws, that I am wrong and they are right, in a manner which shows how little the ordinary course of education...
Page 207 - A mixture of oxygen and hydrogen is exploded in the dark focus, through the ignition of its envelope. A strip of blackened zinc-foil placed at the focus is pierced and inflamed by the invisible rays. By gradually drawing the strip through the focus, it may be kept blazing with its characteristic purple light for a considerable time. This experiment is particularly beautiful. Magnesium wire, presented suitably to the focus, burns with almost intolerable brilliancy. The effects thus far described are,...
Page 174 - ... phenakistoscopes, &c., which depend for their results on ' persistence of vision.' In these instruments, as is well known, an object represented on a revolving disc in the successive positions it assumes in performing a given evolution, is seen to execute the movement so delineated ; in the stereotrope, the effect of solidity is...
Page 349 - Figures and Descriptions of most of those Mosses peculiar to Eastern North America which have not been heretofore figured," and forms an imperial octavo volume, with one hundred and twenty-nine copperplates, published in 1864.