Science and War

Abstract

ON Thursday, June 5, in the Senate House of the University of Cambridge, before a. distinguished audience, Lord Moulton delivered the Rede lecture on science and war. After pointing out generally how the advances in scientific knowledge had revolutionised the methods of warfare since the last great European conflict'in 1870–71, the lecturer dealt specifically with some of the more conspicuous examples of what had been achieved during the present war through the application of science to military problems. Beginning with explosives, he recalled the discovery some seventy years ago of guncotton and nitroglycerine, and showed how it led to the production of the smokeless powders that have revolutionised tactics both by land and sea. At first it was found impossible to use guncotton and nitroglycerine for anything but blasting or like destructive purposes until the discovery was made that, by the aid of certain volatile solvents, the two substances could be incorporated so as to produce a material: resembling gelatine, which could be formed into pieces of any shape or size. While these gela tinised powders burn with extreme rapidity, they are poor conductors of heat. Thus when the charge is fired all the pieces begin to burn on the surface, and the combustion spreads itself through each piece of the material more rapidly than the high tempera ture can pass inwards by conduction of heat. Hence the pieces always burn from the outside, and by making the amount of the surface large or small com pared with the bulk the rate of burning of the powder can be controlled. .