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About The Alliance-independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1892-1894 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1892)
THE ALLIANCE-INDEPENDENT. SCIENCE FOR HOME. SOME WONDERFUL RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENTS. Simple Experiments Which Can Be Made Without Expense A Season In Terms Used In Science Elasticity of Hard Blatter. CIENCE IIAS A language of its own, so to speak, and scie ntific students find it safest to use scientific lan guage whenever it will be under stood, because the use of popu lar expressions, and especially of illustrative metaphors (like current of "electricity," "law of gravitation," "electric fluid," and so on), may lead to erroneous conceptions among peo ple who are not scientific philosophers, and derive their ideas from literature designed to be adapted to their under standing. Thus, many people who have heard til ElVTY.Hfe flit. of "electric fluid" and "currents," con ceive of the mystery of electricity in an entirely wrong way. The truth is that we do not Know wnai eiec tricitv is. only of this we are quite cer tain, that it is not a fluid, writes T. B. Russell. Similarly, we talk about the "laws" of nature, as if these were a kind of force or influence causing cer tain seauences of events to happen, which is quite untrue. What people mean, who use the term with under standing, is simply this, that certain things are found always occurring in the same sequence, and that to that se nuenee the name of a law is erven. - The crreat difficulty to be faced in trying to popularize science is not to teach something- that is true, for that is comparatively easy, but to avoid, if possible, giving any erroneous impres sions while dispensing, as much as pos sible, with severely scientific langu Let us try to see the meaning of one or two scientific terms, for thus it wil be possible to talk of scientific things takes. One of the commonest technical expressions is "matter." Matter simply maans anything" that exists, and we speak of anything material existing when it is capable of impressing when it has weight and occupies space, that is, we know very well that even the intangible air has weight, and as for occupying space well, we are more familiar with air in that capacity than almost anv other. - When we speak of a room being empty, we mean that it is occupied en tirely by air. And the weight of at mospheric air is shown every time a child's air balloon bursts and is flat tened out by the weight of air sur rounding it. The elasticity of the contained air keeps the balloon tight as long as it is unpunctured, but other wise, as we know, it is immediately made limp and flabby. Elasticity! That is another word which has a scientific use. It means the property by which matter which has been deformed in any way re acquires its original shape when let alone. Some things which we should not regard as elastic are really so in a very remarkable degree, as a few ex- perlments will show. Take a sma.l ...... handful of crumbs from the interior 01 a new loaf of bread, and knead it into an irregular shape with the fingers. It would be difficult to think of any thing whiph most neoole would call less elastic. Yet if we strike the mass ever so hard with a flat ruler, we cannot alter the shape! It is flattened, but springs back into position instantly. A glass marble, or anv other kind of marble, for that matter, rebounds from a hard surface when dropped, in virtue of its elasticity. The downward side of the marble is flattened out, but it re-as sumes its round shape so quickly as to throw the marble up again in the air We mav Drove to our own satisfaction that it really was flattened, if we put a little ink on the marble, ana see now small a dot it will make when placed gently on a paving stone. On dropping the inked marble from the height 01 three or four feet, it will make a much larger stain, for the flattening ,of the side will allow a greater surface of the ink to touch the stone. Hang up by the strings four or five wooden skittles or nine-pins, such as are sold at the toy shops. The strings must be tied to a stationary and hori zontal bar in such a manner that the skittles hang straight, and are lightly in contact. Now lift the one end, and let it fall again, striking its neighbor. The skittle at the other end will lm mediately fly up to about the same height as you raised the first, but the others will not appear to have moved at all. The truth is, that each wil have been "flattened," and in the re bounding action, by which it resumes its correct shape, it will have similarly "flattened" its neighbor, until the last, having nothing on the outer side to re strain it, actually bounces. The experiment may be imitated by standing a number of persons in single file, each with a hand on the back o t.h nprson in front. Now cro to the rear of the column (as it would be called by a soldier), and give the last person -a slight push. The impulse will be transmitted from one to an other, without causing any perceptible shock, but the person at the other end of the column, having nobody in front, will either fall down or be compelled to step forward to avoid doing so. It is the elasticity and consequent re bounding canacitv of ivory which makes possible the game of billiards If we place a number of billiard balls against the cushion of a table, or, l not available, if we place a dozen mar bles against the edge of a book, we may, without disturbing any of the middle balls, send any desired number flying from either end of the row, by simply detaching a similar num ber from the remote end, ana rolling them back to their place together with gentle force. And by covering with a duster the hand with which this is done, wo may con siderably astonish any one not ac quainted with the experiment Exactly the same thing may be clone witn a row of coins, the coins being of course, made to slide flat on the table. Vortex rings, such as some smokers make for their amusement, are elastic, and repel one another if they strike. We may make them without tobacco by holding a lamp glass, which has one end covered with paper, as shown here, the smoke of anything (such as damp shavings or brown paper) which emit a heavy smoke. On tapping the paper drum head at the end of the glass, we get fine vortices. They consist of small rings circulating round the circumfer ence of the large ring that is visible, in a manner which has been very cleverly described by the analogy of covering a curtain ring with string, by winding the latter round and round, passing the ball through the space in the center, lhe Our "Songs of the People" Have Created For Themselves a Nation-W.de Demand Which Enables Us Now to Reduce the Price. rings will be most successfully obtained if the open end of the lamp glass has over it a piece of card with a circular aperture smaller than the bore of the class itself. Water is one of the things which is not elastic. It can hardly be com pressed at all, on which fact depend? the principle of the hydraulic press. Coal. marke.fl flrlvanco in prices .. , tn nf oll (rrooa of hard and SOU coal win mu a trnot. fHffp.rp.ncft in the coal bill maao . of Nebraska. While this is irue mucn can be saved by buying of first hands u Th.T. J. Thomas Co., is prepared to furnish coal on any line of K . T.l 1- nnH tit! 1 1 road in Kansas or lxeuraaa. " in living you prices right at your station. See their adver tisement in this paper ana write mem mentioning the alahi-ainue. PEN&ENT. Fine Playing Cards. a In stmns to John SO OCUU MXjlX VWM"' " c uotoin rrpn'l? Ticket and Pass. Afft, n Tf t Xr p RV- Chicago, for a pack "T?Wr Island" Playiag Cards. ui . : . . . - , t Thev are acknowledged tne oest, anu order or postal note for 50c , and we will send live pacics py express, piepiu. The Tennessee Toiler: England hai a land loan scheme by which tho farmers of that country will, borrow money from the liritish government at 2 per cent If , the scheme Is so wild and visionary that only cranks advocate it how is it that the British government, under the control of statesmen who rank with the ablest in the world, has given their adhesion to such a scheme? Not only adv"o cated. but actually adopted it an d, the money is now being loaned. We have all along contemplated reducing- the nrico of our sonjrs Justus soon as we pos slbly oould do so, and we are excoedinglj glad to announce that prices will be way dowa from this tlmo forward. The first cost of sheet muslo la heavy, and wo have been forced to sell hitherto at nearly ordinary prloea. We shall now tell our new, popular, splendid, unequalled songs at rates within the reach of all. Chairman Taubeneck says: "Your songs aie the very best that have been prepared for our people, Hope you will do all In your power to push the work. It Is badly needed in every state." TVin Inni "Tho innM llllt I hill Ad tot the Industrial millions will, If we mistake . 3 A. - A- A I Jl 0 A . A a (tlA DOI, UUU IttUB MX lUUUDltUUI Ul TUW W u ranks of the people's t arty." . PraaMATit. riinlm. nf th A Atlonal Farmers' Alllanoe, says: "Tho are admirably adapted ror cat paign books. ' The Journal of the Knights of Labor says: Thev should be in the bands of all lovers of liberty." The ew rorum sajs: "xne senumentoi these songs is grand." These words of unsolicited praise Indloate tho enthusiastic reception they are meeting wua every wuoro. vo you want songs inai wiu onng aown vnv hnno&') IVa hiva tvn thut (ra MmllP IwlVfll guns, loaded with fun and thunder, and each wortn more in raaaiDg voiesman a nunureu dry orators. They are: "We Have the Tariff Yet," and "The Taxpayera Sett.e the Dills." "Get Off the Earth' is equally popular. Mrs. Mary Baird Finch, our Nebraska poet says: "If I oould write anything as good as 'Get Off the Earth,' 1 sbeuld consider my namo ana iame permanouuy eovBuiinueu. "The Workersr Battle Hymn of Frtedom," Is the new Marseilalse hymn set to the won derously thrilling French air. Nothing oould be more moving and Inspiring. t "dons or America ' is a new tune uae mw Marseillaise, and wo believe equally stirring and fine. " Tho Alarm Tlpat. " mir tmtnnet call to action. It is one of our best quartette cam-. PBlgU nuuipi HUll ttruuDt-B UIUVII SUVIUIIHIBi Tho Pin ir nf T.lhArt V la thr natrlntlo aonir r,f iha tinnnln'u nartv. It will nulfikfill the pulses of all who love their oountry and hate oppression. The Farm Field and Stockman seiectea.it irom au our net w presem vu weir readers this week. "Onrt Have the PtoDle" is another song that will live long, it touches a popular cDoni. ...... You are hearlnar a gocd deal about "An HnnAflf rinllar " Wa have a sonir on that subject (ready next week) which can't be Dear, eena lor u at once. Truth's ADBroachiDE Triumph" IS a Song of tho "thousand years." the reign of right eousness for which we are flghuag. It Is a beautllUl, lnsnmng oomposiuoa, reirwniug as a song of the angels to those who have be come weary waiting. A . ' Tne Weakest Must Go to the Wall" gets la some tremendous blows against the mony land and transportation monopolists. - a anit I.1a" ahnwii 11 n where trofl a come from and how obtained. It Is red ho J. "The Millennium Army" is Mrs. Leases favorite and sue nas reason to minis it our best. Space lacks to tell the merit of the others. KOW NOTICB: Any one of these songs heretofore sold at 33 cents now can be had for 20 cents. Three songs, your choice, for 50 cents. Seven songs for 1100. The entire series, sixteen ia number, lor Order at once and get ready for the great est, grandest, most enthusiastic campaign tne country has known. The following is a list of the songs : The Workers' Battle Hymn of Freedom. Right Shall Reign. The Weakest Must Go to the Wall. The Taxpayers settle the Bills. Sons of America. Get oft the Earth. The Flag of Liberty. The Coal Baron's Song. Truth's Approaching Triumph, Ged Save the People. We have the Tariff Yet. The Alarm Beat. The Millennium Army. That "Honest Dollar. ,T Losses and Lies. Tourists Trips. Round trips to to the Pacific Coast. Short trips to the Mountain Resorts of Colorado. The Great Salt Lake. Yellowstone National Park the most wonderful spot on this continent. Puget Sound, the Mediterranean of the Pacific coast. And all reached via the Union Pacific System. For detailed information call on or address, , J. T. Mastin, C. T. A., 1044 O St., E. B. Slosson, Gen. Agt.. Lincoln, Neb.