Page:Experimental researches in chemistry and.djvu/368

1831]. plate four inches by five, fixed on at the Fig. 28. ends in a perpendicular position to prevent lateral disturbance at those parts,

very regular and beautiful ridges were obtained of any desired width, fig. 28. These ridges, as before, formed only on the wood, 'and were parallel to the direction of its vibration. They occurred on each side of the vibrating plane with equal regularity, force and magnitude, but seemed to have no connexion, for sometimes they corresponded in position, and at other times not; the one set shifting a little, without the others being displaced.

116. It could now be observed that the ridges on either side the vibrating plane consisted of two alternating sets; the one set rising as the other fell. For each fro and to motion of the plane, or one complete vibration, one of the sets appeared, so that in two»complete vibrations the cycle of changes was complete. Pieces of cork and lycopodium powder showed that there was no important current setting in the direction of the ridges; towards the heads of the ridges pieces of cork oscillated from one ridge towards its neighbour, and back again. The lycopodium sometimes seemed to move on the ridges from the wood, and between them to it; but the motion was irregular, and there was no general current outwards or inwards. There was not so much disturbance as amongst the heaps (90).

117. A very simple arrangement exhibits these ripples beautifully. If an oval or circular pan, fifteen or eighteen inches in diameter, be filled with water, and a piece of lath (69) twelve or fifteen inches long be held in it, edge upwards, so as to bear against the sides of the pan as supporting points, and cut the surface of the water, then on being vibrated horizontally by the glass rod and wet finger, the phenomenon immediately appears with ripples an inch or more in length. When the upper edge of the lath was an inch below the surface, the ripples could be produced. When the vessel had a glass bottom, the luminous figures produced by a light beneath and a screen above, were very beautiful (96). Glass, metal and other plates could thus be easily experimented with.

118. These ripple-like stationary undulations are perfectly analogous as to cause, arrangement and action with the heaps and crispations already explained, i. e. they are the results of