ARTIFICIAL DAYLIGHT

Shannon News, 21 September 1926, Page 2

ARTIFICIAL DAYLIGHT

A BOOBY TRAP An amusing booby trap was set—unintentionally—for scientists visiting the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington, on the occasion of the annual inspection by the General Board. It had been announced that in a room in North Lodge, one of the many outbuildings on the estate now taken over for Government • research work, a close imitation of daylight by artificial light would be. shown. Visitors inquired their way to the lodge, and walked into .a room the windows of which were covered with translucent paper. Then they sat down and waited for the “show’’ to begin.

When they.had done this for varying lengths of time they were courteously informed that the “show” was already on—that the ordinary daylight at all, but artificial light transmitted from without through the paper-covered k windows! Tl\e light which filled it was exactly what one would expect to find on a summer day in an apartment with drawn linen blinds.

Actually, the. two side windows were shuttered, and the main middle window was closed in with a box of boards. The light came from 12 ,100-watt lamps, placed between the outside of the' pane and the boards. Important experiments have been carried on in the room. A number of girl clerks, specially lent for the purpose, have been at work there for some weeks. Their relative efficiency in ordinary artificial daylight, and ordinary artificial light has been tested, but the resultant data has not yet been compiled. The light, -which is mild and serene, with the faintest tinge of blue, is obtained by using gas-filled tungsten lamps made of blue blass. At present its cost —about 7Jd an hour for one room —is prohibitive for the ordinary householder. Upstairs in the same building is the only spot in England possibly in 1 the world—which no wireless wave can pevetrate. . The room ,is one in which important wireless experiments are conducted. When the door is closed and fastened with a triple lock the occupants are enclosed in a cage of wire-nett-ing. The netting covei-s the windows runs under the floor and over tlifc ceiling, while the pambs of the door are of solid copper. Insulation is complete.