Societies and Academies

Abstract

LONDON. Physical Society, October 27.—Prof. J. H. Poynting, F.R.S., president, in the chair.—The theory of phase-meters: Dr. W. E. Sumpner. The author shows in the paper that the theory of the instruments is the same whether they contain iron or not, and however the coils may be arranged; that they can be calibrated by direct-current methods, although for use on alternating-current circuits; and that a new type of instrument, containing iron, conforms to the theory given. The main results of the investigation are:—(1) Phasemeters for multi-phase circuits are all equally accurate on balanced loads provided they have been correctly calibrated and possess no faults due to purely mechanical causes. Their accuracy is not affected by variations in wave-form or in current-frequency. (2) Phasemeters can be simply and accurately calibrated for balanced loads by means of a direct-current method of test. (3) The error of phasemeters on unbalanced circuits is generally serious for loads which are badly out of balance. The error, like that of a wattmeter, increases rapidly as the power-factor of the load diminishes. It can only be reduced at the expense of complication in the instrument, by increasing the number of coils used in the fixed and moving systems, and by arranging the coils and magnetic circuits to be symmetrical in regard to one another.—Apparatus designed for measuring the coronal radiation during an eclipse: Prof. H. L. Callendar. A preliminary test of the apparatus with the thermopile directly exposed to radiation of known intensity showed a deflection of nearly 25 cm. for one-thousandth of a calorie per sq. cm. per min., so that radiation one-millionth of full sunshine could be detected with certainty without using a mirror. When placed in the focus of the telescope used, radiation one thousand times smaller than this could be observed, so that even if the intrinsic heat-radiating power of the corona were only one ten-millionth of the solar surface it could still be measured to within 1 per cent. The essential point in the observations was to eliminate the variable effects of atmospheric radiation, for which a differential method of observation with the two halves of the pile was particularly suitable. In taking observations on the corona, the motion of the moon during totality was made use of to define the exact area of the corona corresponding to the differential reading. At the commencement of totality, the thermopile being centred on the sun, the inner corona on the eastern limb would be fully exposed, while on the western it would be partly covered by the moon. At the end of totality the reverse would be the case. The difference of the readings would correspond to the radiation of the strip of the inner corona uncovered by the motion of the moon between the two readings. The area of the strip of corona considered could be accurately determined from the times at which the readings were taken.