Jump to content

Page:Collected Physical Papers.djvu/267

From Wikisource
This page has been validated.
COLLECTED PHYSICAL PAPERS
247

traced the curve. I was not prepared, however, for results so remarkably perfect. In the present case I was not only able to obtain the most important and characteristic effects with great ease and certainty, but also to repeat them, the results of successive experiments being practically identical.

The extreme regularity of the observed effect is seen at a glance in figure 57. I give below a table which shows how continuously the resistance is diminished under increasing E. M. F.


Table VI.-Showing Variation of Current and Resistance in Self-recovering Positive Receiver with Increasing E. M. F.

E. M. volt. Current. 5 dn=l/105 amp. Resistance in ohms.
0·2
0·3
0·4
0·5
0·6
0·7
0·8
0·9
1·0
1·1
1·2
2
5
10
17
27
40
55
73
94
115
141
50,000
30,000
20,000
14,700
11,100
8,750
7,270
6,160
5,320
4,780
4,245

It will be seen that whereas at 0·2 volt the resistance is 50,000 ohms, at 1·2 volt it has undergone an uninterrupted fall to 4,245 ohms, or 1/12th of its original value. There has been no sudden breakdown at any intermediate point.