Science

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2070, 20 May 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Science

Unconscious Counting —I: hns always f-.nuvl [..ut "i the i-ioUS'ii.mal o.njar-r’s education to aejuire the power of making instant mental note of many objects. fhe a:ii!.-.r of an in.clients article in the •' GattenkwW.” suggests the ielea that the ability possessed by m-.-t people, of disting'iisi.ing from three to live objects at a glance, may be so perfected that the mind will liud it possible to take note of at least thirty articles in the same length of time. Indeed, a well known arithmetician. Rase, who died in dri'd, declared that he could count thirty objects of the same kind as easily as other people could count three or four. The truth of this assertion was often proved when the arithmetician, with lightning rapidity, gave the correct number of a herd of sheep,|of the books in a library, or the window, panes in a large house. Apart from the usefulness of this acquired power, the method of teaching it may be found verv amusing as a game. The test of one’s ability in counting may easily bo made by placing several small objects, such as pins or coins, under a sheet of paper, then lifting the paper so that one may glance at the articles,and give an immediate guess as to their number. At first the eye finds it possible to distinguish only three or four objects, but practice soon enables it to manage any under ten with the same facility. Above that number the process becomes more difficult. Conscious counting should be avoided; the articles should be merely guessed. T.* perfect one's self in this practice, black spots may be made, forming various geometrical figures, upon squares of white cardboard, the number being gradually increased, and the position altered. It is also found advisable to open a book at random, cover a part of the page, and guess at the number of lines left visible, rnconsmous Counting, though difficult at first, thus becomes purely me'banica'. Herr Preyer, the advocate ot the system sacs the sensation of a person practised in unconscious counting, when looking attentively at large numbers of objects, is that their number shoots rapidly through the head.

The Size of the Earth. —The earlier attempts at ca.’ciiiaiing the size of the globe wore based on astronomical observations. It w.-uld be 'lilih'iiit to-day to say wiiliin what degree of arcuvacy ttie figures then obtained could have i fen relied upon, as the units of measurement used by those pioneers have been lost and could n»t be compared with the units now in use. One of the earlier attempts at obtaining the actual length of the earth's meridian by direct measurement of a p union of the same was made in the sixteenth century by a l-’renehdoctor. The means employe I, although very ingenious, would he c n-idered perfectly clumsy and inadequate bv the modern scientist. There was in this early measurement no attempt at mathematical precision as understood in the present century, and, considering the simplicity of the method employed by the doctor, it is only to be wondered that no greater error was obtained in its final result. Tho measurement consisted simply in driving from Paris lo Amcins, and counting the revolutions of the wheels of the carriage,-and from the number of revolutions of the wheels obtain the distance between the two cities, which Could serve as a basis for calculating the length of the meridian. Of course, this calculation could u -t by any means be considered accural but. taking into account the means employed. tiie result obtained lias been subsequently found lobe wonderfully precise. The most curious tiling about it is, that what Would now be coii-idercd grave errors and in,xaetitu les were so distributed that they aim.'-c compensate i each other, and the dinc n-ioiis then obtained show only slight, dii'i r-n i ojs with the dimensions givii by the u -tr cent in asur meats. Thusoham-efand no iwtter name e-..i',d be found) permiUeff of the same results, with only a small final error, bring obtained with that crude method that are now obtained with the most precise instruments and with the most complicated calculations.

Milk as an Odor Absorbent —Those ff.vr.vmeu who do ti"t beiieve m the powerof rock i i rapidly alt-orb and become contain-inat-.d by surrounding noxious smells will do well to try the following simple te-t. the result of which will, doubtless, immediately c livin'.' the mini sceptical: Take a wide bowl or? tup plate to the emv stable when y.vi g . t" mil;:; pour into a pint of milk, -d il on t ; - ilo r or at the height of a in ik d. «ia? to expo-- il fully t-> the air of th,- >tabie. behind andclo-e lo the c-.ws. If I in- day is ei.se ami !i--.ivy and th - milk is c rid. an! rim stiti,'..,- not (denied on! and air !. the result will 1,.- surprising. Take it t, ; hot:?c "i- anvwheie away from the stable, an 1 try to drink it!

Toads as Bee Eaters -Toads may be ns -till in riteh-.-n gardens as a ring and iinect -1- str.i/ei : Hr freer y.,u can k ,ep your apiary fr-'in Ids i.|os-nee the buti in • Toads will ‘.vr.-t at in... foot . f a hive to seize, any honey, '.a in be rii.it may happen to fail to the gi ;c,d on its rlnnifr.m fora ring, and one o" ' master, says e. correspondent of the /,«’< •'••. -aw over a dozen little workers capr.re i in the space of half an hour by an old fat triiow, who dail-ri on; his t.mgne with w. n 1 rfri: .-verity immediately he saw a bee on th • gri'ind. The bees had be, n collecting p-eilen. an 1 many of them, being heavily hj len. were unable to reach the floor board of the (live.

The Magnetic Influence of the Moon—An An-*iian sav.int bus ase.italned licit tiie mo ,n li i- an ini)'!- ii,-.j ~n a nmgnriiz- d nyrile varying with its pha-e? and its deelinati.ei. T.:e pin u-im>*n-*n i? said to l„- more pr-•minenfly noticeable when o*;r sat elite is m ar th-- -arth. ami to bv very marked when rim U pa--:ng from the full !■, hj t fir-t or

s ’ uid o garter. The disturbances .-ire at their maximum when ti,o ino,,n is ;u the prim'of the equator. anl ,rr-*al-r during the - lotin r:i than the ii.iithem ff.-clinatiun.

Electric Railway Brakes —The HnVr. < . ,/'/.■/, r<r calls at teni;v,'i !" tli" i'■ 1 • ■,■ 111 ■, ;ji, -1 mien's d' M. llcgray. ~ii in • Ivi-t.-iii iriilway "t Fran.-g, which lii-,v- d til-* gr,p >w.-r of electric I,rakes. In l.aet. tie.- I'.i’ilt to be found with (iie.->o, n ,t..' ‘ v with Aeoard s brake, is that 11 1 - ■ v act I-,-, - ,1 1 :;.v. <„• ir eoulcnipoiary thinks that the la! • ac.'id -li, ,-,t M.-nte t'arlo might have I- • ii. if not entirely avoided, at any rate gr -at iy m ; t ; cated. if the t r.Tns had been fitted with electric brakes.

A Fire Banked for Sixteen Months—('tie of the least fcnne-' S of the, Kemble Iron and Coni Company a: Hi Ml. -.simp', I’,a,, was banket np in \oveml.--r |sS| After being out of Mo-t nearly sixteen m-.tiths, it was re: -ntly op-me-l for the tir-l fim-', an I the fire f.und still bunting. The g!owi-d brightly, and on the admission of the 'least, soon became hot enough to m--!t ein I-.-r, 'ldle fin nace w.-is started with a - little dillieulty as if it tin i on!v been standimra week.

Bleaching Paper By Electricity.—A th- ;• . .... -it.-r pi -|i i.-es t - iK" cli'cl ti'-ity for ’j- it'-.hu r pap r pulu in th" follow ing laattii!.;. .\ s'd-i'oit ,d chloride of mu-g----n-'-i.-m 1- ik- d. fids ii „f th" str-ngih of i.b'-ut Id -1- g. :cime. On pn-i-in ru current ti.tough, eh i"iolv.-k taking pho e, v.tri ee; eh'-mh ;tl re-1 i- UK i iillv. SI■ I ting v-rs I iXV-ihi --I I i V, le-.1, s,it-s :11 ! - hj I V"! y hj! a- 1 1 tii 1 . W.itelr Screws —IM- im -■ -n-.v k. .q i n a - i ■ '' ■ ■ 'ii '• "->' ’ 1 1 1 r- .t U ; -' hj >