NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1342, 18 August 1877, Page 13

NOTES AND QUERIES.

CHOIR SINGER wishes to know when church music was first introduced into the Christian church, W. J.M. asks a number of questions about the earliest modes of writing, the discovery of paper, pens, &c. We must take another week to look up answers. DOT AND CARRY ONE sends the following : A horse has in its hoofs thirty-two nails. What sum would be demanded for the total number, calculating one farthing for the first nail, two farthings for the second, four farthings for third, and so forth ? The result of the computation would be as follows • I 4,294,967,295 farthings, or £4,473,924 ss, and 3^d overplus. ANSWERS. ARTHUR BEVERLY sends tho following answer to J. Mitchell's query: "J. Mitchell's query might be briefly put thus :—lf:—lf a solitary wave travels 41*25 millions feet in 18 hours 34 minutes, what is the mean depth of the water ? Ana. 1972 fathoms. The Telocity is 617 ft per second j and 617 = 1972 nearly. The rate at 193 which a long or solitary wave travels, is equal to the velocity acquired by a body falling freely through a diatance equal to half the depth of the water. The first wave front which reaches a distant place is not necessarily that which follows the shortest route. If there be another route which has deeper water, and is not much longer, that part of the wave which follows itwillarrive first, and that which follows the direct route a few minutes later." J. MITCHELL sends the following answer to his earthquake wave question: — Distance = 6788 geog. miles Velocity — 617 feet per second. Depth = 19/5 fathoms. OLD FOSSIL.—The answer to Old Fossil's query is, A Shoe. A.P. wrote something very particular on paper with a lead pencil, some months ago, and now is in a fix because by much rubbing it has become almost iliegible. Try breathing upon it, and if that does not answer, hold it over a kettle of boiling water, and it will quickly be brought to view again, and by these means, such writing may always be made indelible. T.W.W.—When gathering the ferna, you should take a large book -with you, or two boards with blotting paper between them. Place the ferns between the leaves, where they will dry. A little pressure will do good. In mounting use gum arabic.