GRAVITATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 478, 10 April 1909, Page 12

GRAVITATION.

PRODbCED e, ART!FICIALLY. "' A GERMAN PROFESSOR'S EXPERIMENTS. " All scientific Germany is talking of th« romarkablo experiments of Professor Arthur Korn in tho mysterious domain of gravitation," says a correspondent of tho "Westminster," in a very, valnahlo and lucid article "Of tho scoro of physical reasons given for gravitation not ono has passed beyond tho domain of theory. It has fallen to Professor Korn to propound yet ono more theory, and ( for tho first timo on record, te provo experimentally that his theory is right. Making Gravitation Visible " Professor Korn has constructed, a machino which shows oven to the unscientifio eyo small bodies attracting ono another in the same way and under tho same laws as regards distances and speed as Nowton's applo was attracted by tho earth, and as all tho heavenly bodios aro attracted by ono another. Probably till these experiments wero mado. no human eyo had soon a small body, without impulsion by any known force, being attracted by another small particle; and te tho avcrago man it seoms incredible that a tiny globo should attract another tiny globe. Yet that is exactly n-hat Professor Korn has accomplished in his attempt to provo his theory of gravitation. "Professor Korn started a priori with tho assumption that gravitation is merely tho result of tho vibration of elastic bodies in an intvistic medium. This is a theory based on tho fact that earth, sun, and stars, all being clastic matter, aro surrounded by ether, which science assumes is inelastic and incompressible. "Modoru science has ascertained that all matter is in a state of eternal vibration. i Tho vibration, according to tho professor, is analagous to tho vibration of a violin string. Of such complox character, assumed Korn, aro tho vibrations of all particles of matter, and it is theso vibrations which lead respectively not only to tho attractive forco of gravitation, but also to tho repulsivo force which, in tho caso of tho heavenly bodies, is observed at tho samo timo. The Apparatus. " Tho machine constructed by tho professor te protluco such 'artificial gravitation' is extremely simple. A metallic globo, fitted with a window for observation of what is going on iusido it, is united by tubes with a cylinder, ono end of which is closed only by a mombranc. To this membrane is attached an electro-motor, which, by pushing and pulling tho membrane alternately, makes rapid pulsations. Tho metal globo contains two air-tilled indiarubber balls of different sizes. The larger ono is fixed lirmly to tho inside wall of tho globe. The smaller is free to movo whither it likes. Tho wholo apparatus is thon filled with water, and tho motor 6ot to work. " Each timo tho membrano is pressed in, tho increased water-pressuro causes tho rubIxsr halls to contract, and each time tho membrane returns to its original ]>osif.ion tho relaxed pressure of tho water causes tho two balls to expand. Tlio motor is set working so quickly that these pulsations becomo inconceivably rapid vibrations, and the contraction and expansion of tho balls is invisible to tho eve. As wntor is practically incompressible, Professor Korn thus obtains tho conditions ho needs—he has two elastic bodies vibrating in an inelastic medium. Then tho phenomenon looked for occurs. When the vibrations attain a certain speed the smaller ball, impelled by a mysterious force, begins slowly to move through the water to tho larger ball, and gradually increases its sprcd, exactly as the apple observed by Newton increased its speed as it fell nearer and nearer to tho ground. A Model of the Golar System. "So far this was merely a nuzzling phenomenon.' But that it was gravitation, and no other force, which drew the balls together was soon proved. Measurements showed that tho bigger ball attracted tho smaller exactly in accordance with Nowton's law, or in inverse ratio to tho square of the distances between them. It beeamo, therefore, possiblo to construct an exact working model of tho solar system in water, in which tho planets should all movo in their appointed patbi without any visible support, or externally applied power."