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March 14th, 1844        110

Distribution of a current of elect in passing through a quantity of water
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When one finger of one hand was placed at a, and the other at b of the other hand, a shock was felt, and this continued to be perceptible until the distance 'a' and 'b' from the poles was 8 inches, while the poles themselves were 6 inches apart.
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The poles being terminated as before, and the fingers placed at 'a' and 'b', the shock was quite perceptible, but it became much more intense when the finger 'b' was moved to the position b'. This might have been expected on account of the increased distance of the fingers. From all these results, it appears that the electricity tends to pass through the whole mass of the fluid and move along the line of least resistance.

A number of experiments were made to determine if the current [[income?]] particularly sought the surface, but no satisfactory result was obtained. 

These results are all connected with the fact that the liquid was a bad conductor, and the fingers comparatively a good one.
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March 21st 1844  Capilarity the tenacity of water    111

Some children this morning were engaged in blowing soap bubbles, and while I was admiring the beauty of the colours exhibited, the thought crossed my mind that the tenacity of water might be determined approximately by means of them. This thought was suggested by the fact that a considerable weight of water could be accumulated on the lower side of the bubble without breaking the thin film.
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By weighing the water, and knowing the diameter of the bubble, we can find the tension due to the weight per linear inch. In our observation the quantity of water supported was certainly more than a grain, and the colour of the bubble was violet in the upper part before the breaking took place. Now by inspecting the cable of the thickness of thin plates, as given by Newton we can find the thickness of the bubble of the violet color. The diameter of this bubble was about 3 inches, and the circumference about the pipe [[strikeout]] where the breaking took place about one inch. Suppose the quantity of water supported was two grains, then [[strikeout]] each linear inch  of the circumference of the bubble at the pipe would support 2 grain and suppose it to be 2/1000000th of an inch in thickness, then one square inch would support 1,000000 grains, or nearly 4 lbs [[?]]. But this is not the only force the tenacity of the water is caused to balance. The bubble is distended by the condensation of the air by the mouth, and the expansion of the same in the bubble, and this must be added to the other, so that the tenacity of water is probably as great as that of ice. The only difference consists in the perfect mobility of the particles of the one, and the fixed mass of those of the other. It is probable that the soap diminishes the real tenacity of the atoms of water, while by rendering it less liquid, it increases the apparent tenacity.