Page:Collected Physical Papers.djvu/123

Rh becomes quite certain in action. For various reasons the radiation emitted by small radiators are more favourable for accurate work.

In order that the surface of the radiator should be little affected by the disintegrating action off the sparks, I use a single spark for producing a flash of radiation. There used to be, however, some uncertainty from a discharge occasionally failing to be oscillatory. The cause of this uncertainty is ascribed to the deposit of dust on the sparking surface. For greater certainty of action some observers immerse the radiator in oil. The use of oil is under any circumstances troublesome. This is specially so in polarisation experiments, when the radiator has to be placed in different azimuths. I have for these reasons avoided the oil-immersion arrangement, and have tried to secure certainty of oscillatory discharge without this expedient. Attention was specially paid to the coil and the primary break. A radiator has also been constructed which is found to be extremely efficient. It consists of two platinum beads, each 2 mm. in diameter, separated by 0.3 mm. spark-gap. There is no interposed third ball. This radiator, though kept exposed for days without any protecting cover, was yet found to give rise to a succession of effective discharges without a single failure. I even went so far as to pour a stream of dust on the radiator; in spite of this severe treatment, the sparks were found to be quite effective in giving rise to electric oscillation.

The receiver, too, is perfectly certain in its action, and various degrees of sensitiveness may be given to it. In the following experiments, the sensitiveness had to be very greatly enhanced, and this, as alluded to above,