THE BASIS OF "WIRELESS.”

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11850, 5 June 1919, Page 7

THE BASIS OF "WIRELESS.”

DUST OF ASTOUNDING ENERGY

Dr. J. A. Fleming, continuing his Cantor lecture in the theatre of the Royal Society of Art?, called attention to one of the most intricate and fundamental phase of the scientific problem of electric wave telegraphy. "When first investigationg the effect of the rotundity on the earth on a long distance current he had wondered how the wave would pass the arc 110 miles high that was formed by the curve of the earth between Cornwall and Newfoundland. The earth itself was not a'perfect-conductor, and was influenced by|vanous magnetic currents The question then was, would the electric * current go over the arc, taking a circular course round the earth, instead of flyh’g off at a tangent? Now that waves twenty to thirty thousand feet in length could be transmitted it was known that they could be sent in a circular direction from here to the Antipodes. Attempts had been made to account for their travel in a curved path entirely by defraction, but long distance telegraphy was not to be accounted for by defraction alone. The course of the current was greatly affected by the earth’s consisting, above 50 kilometres, of gases that had not been mixed by winds, but had sorted them solve according to density, and still higher almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. There were moreover, particles arriving at enormous velocity, pushed as they were by light from the sun, and, to illustrate the energy possessed by this fine solar dust. Dr. Fleming remarked that as much as would go in one’s pocket had enough energy to run a battle cruiser for twenty four hours. When these particles struck the earth’s atmosphere it became heavily ionised, and the effect was that the current was turned downward, like the light that gave an inverted mirage. This, and not defraction, was the cause of the bending of the ray round the earth.