A static condenser whose dielectric is air. The capacity of an air
condenser in farads is equal to
A / ( 4.452E12 * t )
in which A is the area of one sheet or sum of the areas of one set of
connected sheets in square inches and t is the thickness of the layer of
air separating them.

A convenient construction given by Ayrton consists in a pile of glass
plates P separated by little bits of glass F of known thickness, three
for each piece. Tin-foil T is pasted on both sides of each piece of
glass and the two coatings are connected. The tin-foil on each second
plate is smaller in area than that on the others. The plates are
connected in two sets, each set comprising every second plate. For A in
the formula the area of the set of smaller sheets of tin-foil is taken.
By this construction it will be seen that the glass does not act as the
dielectric, but only as a plane surface for attachment of the tin-foil.
Posts E E keep all in position. One set of sheets connects with the
binding post A, the other with B.

The capacity of any condenser with a dielectric of specific inductive
capacity i is given by the formula:
( i *A^1 ) / ( 4.452E12 * t1 )

The air condenser is used for determining the value of i for different
dielectrics.

(a) In the Thomson-Houston dynamo an air-blast is used to blow away the
arc-producing spark liable to form between the brushes and commutator.
It is the invention of Prof. Elihu Thomson. The air is supplied by a
positive action rotary blower connected to the main shaft, and driven
thereby. The wearing of the commutator by destructive sparking is thus
prevented.

A drum H H is rotated, being mounted on the axis X of the dynamo. As it
rotates the three vanes are thrown out against the irregular shaped
periphery of the outer case T T. The arrow shows the direction of
rotation. The air is thus sent out by the apertures a a. O is the
oil-cup.

(b) The air-blast has also been used by Prof. Thomson in experiments
with high frequency currents of high potential. By directing a blast of
air against a spark discharge between ball terminals of an alternating
current, the nature of the current was changed and it became capable of
producing most extraordinary effects by induction.

14   STANDARD ELECTRICAL DICTIONARY.

Air is a dielectric whose specific inductive capacity at atmosphere
pressure is taken as 1. It is practically of exactly the same
composition in all places and hence can be taken as a standard. When dry
it has high resistance, between that of caoutchouc and dry paper.
Dampness increases its conductivity.

It is a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, with a little carbonic acid gas
and other impurities. Its essential composition is:

Oxygen:     (by weight) 23.14     (by volume) 21
Nitrogen:               76.86                 79

Approximate (.001 mm., .0004 inch)   0.94 (Ayrton)
Vacuum
( 5 mm. , .2 inches ) 0.9985 (Ayrton)
0.99941 (Boltzman.)

[Transcriber's note: Argon accounts for 0.9340%. It was discovered in
1894, two years after this book.]

The locus of points on the earth’s surface where the magnetic needle
points to the true north; an imaginary line determined by connecting
points on the earth’s surface where the needle lies in the true
geographical meridian. Such a line at present, starting from the north
pole goes through the west of Hudson’s Bay, leaves the east coast of
America near Philadelphia, passes along the eastern West Indies, cuts
off the eastern projection of Brazil and goes through the South Atlantic
to the south pole. Thence it passes through the west of Australia, the
Indian Ocean, Arabia, the Caspian sea, Russia and the White sea to the
North Pole. It crosses the equator at 70° W. and 55° E. approximately.
(See Magnetic Elements.)

Synonym–Agone.

“]

[Transcriber's note: The file Earth_Declination_1590_1990.gif provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (http://www.usgs.gov) is an animation of the declination of the entire earth.

The Anderson and Girdlestone motor. The term “agir” is made up from the
first portions of each name.

The attraction of atoms and in some cases perhaps of molecules for each
other by the force of chemical attraction. When the affinity is allowed
to act or is carried out, a chemical change, as distinguished from a
physical or mechanical change, ensues. Thus if sulphur and iron are each
finely powdered and are mixed the change and mixture are mechanical. If
slightly heated the sulphur will melt, which is a physical change. If
heated to redness the iron will combine with the sulphur forming a new
substance, ferric sulphide, of new properties, and especially
characterized by unvarying and invariable ratios of sulphur to iron.
Such change is a chemical one, is due to chemical affinity, is due to a
combination of the atoms, and the product is a chemical compound.

An electric conductor carried from housetops, poles, or otherwise so as
to be suspended in the air, as distinguished from an underground or
submarine conductor.

The British Admiralty specifications for the permissible heating of
dynamos. It holds that at the end of a run of six hours no part of the
dynamo under trial shall show a rise of temperature greater than 11º C.
(20º F.) above the temperature of the air surrounding it. This is
thought to be a very stringent and unnecessarily high requirement.

The adherence between surfaces of iron due to elcctro-magnetic
attraction. It has been applied to the driving-wheels of an engine and
rail, whose grip is increased by such action. In one method a deep
groove was cut around the wheel which was wound with a magnetizing coil.
Thus one rim becomes a north and the other a south pole, and the rail
completing the circuit acts as the armature. Such an arrangement
prevents a wheel from sliding. Electro-magnetic adherence has also been
employed to drive friction gear wheels. In one arrangement the two
wheels are surrounded by a magnetizing coil, under whose induction each
attracts the other, developing high adherence between their peripheries.

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC CAR WHEEL

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FRICTION GEAR

Abbreviation for Anodic Duration Contraction, q. v.; a term in
electro-therapeutics.