Abstract
In the Fourteenth Volume of the Transactions of the Royal Astronomical Society will be found a full account of the Cavendish apparatus, and of the mode of experimenting followed by Mr. Baily. It will therefore not be necessary for me, in this place, to enter into any detail as to the different parts of the instrument, and the various precautions adopted in order to avoid that singular source of error 'currents of air in the torsion box arising from unequal temperature,’ which had been discovered by Cavendish. It will be sufficient for me to state that all the arrangements are of a highly satisfactory kind, and that I am of opinion that no aerial currents could have existed in the torsion box. The deduction of the mean density of the earth from the observed vibrations of the balls influenced by the torsion force and the attraction of the masses, is founded on a mathematical theory of the motion of the balls given by the Astronomer Royal, Mr. Airy ; and as this theory is certainly insufficient to account for the discrepancies, it will here be necessary to give a brief sketch of it.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
