Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 60.djvu/73

58 enabled any angular displacement of the magnetometer needle to be easily determined. The position of this magnetometer needle was regulated by the field produced by an external controlling magnet. The small magnet, the behaviour of which at low temperatures was to be studied, was placed behind the magnetometer, with its oentre at a distance of 1 to 10 cm. from the centre of the magnetometer needle and its axis in a direction passing through the centre of the magnetometer needle, and at right angles to the direction of the undisturbed magnetometer needle. The magnet to be examined was fixed to a brass wire, held in a wooden support in such fashion that the magnet under examination, could be easily removed from its position behind the magnetometer, and restored to it again exactly. A large number of samples of steel and iron were then prepared in the form of small needles, generally 15 mm. long and about 1 mm. in diameter. These steels comprised nickel steels, with various percentages of nickel; chromium steels, with various percentages of chromium; aluminium steels, with various percentages of aluminium; tungsten steels, manganese steels, silicon steel, ordinary carbon steels in various states of tempering, soft-annealed transformer iron, softiron wire, and the same irons hardened by hammering. For most of these samples of steels we were indebted to Mr. R. A. Hadfield, of Sheffield, who kindly furnished them to one of us in the form of wires.

These short steel magnets were then all magnetised to “ saturation ” by placing them for a few moments between the poles of a powerful electro-magnet. One by one they were then placed in position behind the magnetometer, and the deflection produced on the magnetometer needle observed. In any particular case this deflection may be taken as approximately representing the intensity of magnetisation of the sample, although, owing to the varying sizes of the sample and distance from the magnetometer, the deflections in the case of different magnets are not comparable with one another, and cannot be taken as indicating the relative intensities of magnetisation of two different samples. This, however, was not important, as our object was not to compare the absolute values of the magnetisation of different classes of steels, but to observe the mode of variation of the magnetisation of any one sample when cooled from ordinary temperatures down to the temperature of liquid air.

The method of proceeding was then as follows :—Having adjusted the image of the lamp filament to the zero of the scale, the small magnet under observation was placed behind the magnetometer, and the deflection of the magnetometer needle observed. A small vacuum-jacketed cup, filled with liquid ah, was then brought up underneath the sample, and by its aid the magnet cooled suddenly in situ to a temperature in the neighbourhood of —186° C. In the