SCIENCE AT WORK

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7265, 22 October 1910, Page 5

SCIENCE AT WORK

VICTORIA COLLEGE DEMONSTRATIONS.

With a view, to stimulating interest in subjects which so closely affect their interests, and exercise such a wide influence over their whole lives, it fas bean arranged that the science wing of Victoria College shall be opened at intervals to the public, -who will be afforded on wpportuntty to follow the progress of the experiments conducted in the various laboratories.

At the fiitet of these demonstrations, given last Digit, there was a large assemblage of people, who were shown through tho laboratories wherein students were busy conducting experiments, the nature of Which was explained in a most lucid manner, and all who attended were treated to the interesting and somewhat unique sweotacle of s'.-ience at wart. The most pleasing f eahrre was the large number oi young people of both eeseo who attended. Their presence at a funcLioii about which there was nothing mf that exciting or sensational character which appeals to youth goes to show that there is at last dawning a sense of responsibility wlluch sociologists over Iras endangered by an inordinate. lov» Sor sport. .... An experiment having a significant bearing upon a recent newspaper controversy was performed by Professor laby, who, without expressing an opinion, showed! that an electrical current of 500,000 volts crossing a gap of about nino inches loses a considerable amount of vnergy. . . ~ An exhibition of the seemingly impossible feat •of bowling a chain was given by Profeesoi' Laby. An ordinary short-Kinked chain, joined in a loop, was placed upon a wheel revolving at a very Inch rate of speed l . When a certain. Telocity had been obtained the chain was freed ami bowled like a hoop along the Boor, and only collapsed when friction fcad lessened the velocity. Professor Kirk conducted a series of biological experiments which were illustrated on a screen by nraans of a powerful micro-projector, and tho various stages of development weie explained by the professor, who, whilst avoiding technicalities, wont into every detail.