Oscillations Not "Osculations"

Oscillations Not "Osculations"

The Subject of Prof. Carhart's Lecture.

A Disrourse of Great Technical Value on Some Phases of Electrical Phenomena.

It was a very wise-eyed audience perhaps because of the preponderance of men--that greeted Professor Carhart Monday evening. It was also a very interested and appreciative one.

Professor Carhart, upon being introduced by Prof. Reed, immediately informed the audience that he would not lecture upon the subject announced in the Washtenaw Daily Times. That he was not going to talk on 'osculation' for this was an illustrated lecture and he preferred his own experience. That he thought he had a right to take the prerogative and to choose his assistants.

"What 'electrical osculation' is," said Prof. Carhart, "we shall perhaps find out in due time from the editor of the Washtenaw Times."

He then proceeded to define his subject "Electrical Oscillations." Any system which is disturbed from its equilibrium and comes back again to its equilibrium, gives up its energy and comes to rest and this executes oscillations comes under the head of the subject. Every oscillating system has its period of oscillations determined by certain physical conditions. There is an analogous case in electricity.

When a certain amount of energy is stored up and an attempt is made to convert this energy into another form, it is slowly converted into heat and light by a series of oscillations. Heinrich Herz discovered that the spark gap is the source of electric waves sent out through the ether which travel with the velocity of light. These waves are the ones utilized in wireless telegraphy.

Prof. Carhart showed by various experiments how with an electrical apparatus, the same principles are involved which makes it exactly analogous to an organ-pipe, and thereby proves that we have electrical oscillations.

The lecture was of great technical value, and was a fine display of delicate fireworks to the less learned. Even though someone had been fooling with the battery and proceedings were cut short, with a new re-inforcement from the physical laboratory the experiment was a brilliant success which the audience vigorously applauded.