MODERN SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7264, 21 October 1910, Page 1

MODERN SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE

3 VICTOEIA COLLEGE EXHIBITS PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND EXPERIMENTS. Tho exhibition of experiments given at ■ Victoria College on the occasion of the - opening of the physics laboratory by his '. Excellency Lord Islington if to be rel peated to-nifflvt. The experiments will bo commenced at 8 o'clock, in the science - wing, entrance 'to which may be gained e from Kelburiie Parade. All interested in s tho subject are invited to be present, no charge being made for admission. '' CHEMICAL LABORATORY. r In the chemical laboratory the following experiments will be shown : (1) Freezing of water by means of a rotary air pump; (2) solidification of carbonic anhydride, and freezing of quicksilver; (3) preparation of benzine from coal tar; (4) preparation of coal tar coloivrs; (5) a novel form of hot-air enI sine; (6) glass-blowing, and (7) speos troscopic. analysis. BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. In the biological laboratory there will , be a demonstration of the method of '. cutting and staining sections of animal , tissues for examination under the inicro- : scope, and of the early stages in tho \ development of the chick embryo, o.\ao various living organisms. The professor of biology will give an . explanation of certain microscopic objects, which will be tht'ow-n on a screen by means of a powerful micro projector. i Added interest attaches to these exhibits : as wome of the subjects are living. GEOLOGICAL. LABORATORY. | ! In this laboratory students will be at work, and many interesting geological specimens will be available for examination. THE PHYSICS LABORATORY. ■ This laboratory, which was opened quite recently by Lord Islington, is equipped with machine tools, a storagebattery, dynamo, etc. It will be open fca* inspection this evening. In the workshop the seemingly iinpofcsiiible- feat of bowling a chain like a hoop will be performed. A simple form of wireless telegraphic apparatus may also be soon. The detector of the Hertzian electro-magnetic waves is a Maxconi silver-nickel'coherer. A very simple form of detector consisting of a sewing needle dipping in mercury is aL'o used. A rather remarkable exhibit is one in which a found is not only heard but, seen. -By illuminating a loud sound wavo with an electric spark as it passes the telescope the air wave is made visible. Tho waves are seen in the form of black bauds passing the illuminated field of the observing telescope. In another experiment an arc-light is made to give out a. musical note, which can ba varied at. will. Not onlv is the note heard at the arc-light, but it is also lwswd coming from the electrical generator which supplies the current. Tho experiment is of special interest as the arrangements are similar to those used by Poulsen in his system of wireless telephony. There has recently been thrown open to science a new field of observation. By using a powerful light it has become possible to directly observe objects which were for long regarded as too small even to be seen with a microscope. j> niong these ultrn-micros-eopic particles are certain bacteria, but possibly the most surprising are large molecules, the ultimate particles of matter. Among the exhibits at the college tonight will be an ultra-microscope showing particles of the pigment gamboge, which are only some hundred thou-s-andfcns of an inch across. Tho professor of physics will give a lecturette at 8.15 on X-rays, radium, and high frequency discharge, which will be ill-unrated by experiments. Some of the remaining exhibits are tbe mercury lamp and its spectrum, lrHitemperature thermometers, the illuminating- power of gas and electrdoitv sound experiments station aTv r ~waves in "a cotton thread, an hai-monograph, and a Tesla coil.