The unity of matter : being thoughts on the nature, weight, & expansion of gases / by G.T. Carruthers.

  • Carruthers, G. T. (George Thompson)
Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The unity of matter : being thoughts on the nature, weight, & expansion of gases / by G.T. Carruthers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    12/22 (page 10)
    The pressure which the 10*6? Bpheres of gas give to the sides of the chamber containing them, is a separate oircum- stanoe from the pressure which an individual sphere exerts within its own limits. If they are supplied with heat of 32° from an outward source, they will require the restraint of a containing vessel which must be of sufficient strength to keep the whole vapour at its point of saturation, otherwise the heat constantly supplied would extend their volume to infinity, for what is there in heat that it should not go on doing work ? At saturation the constant heat is employed in preventing the constant fall of the vapour and weight. We may omit the consideration of that part of the vapour force which keeps suspended the 12*27 lbs. and also the fall of the 12-27 lbs., supposing these two forces to act through thesuspended vapour as through a rigid rod. There remains the 1 lb. of vapour resisting the entrance of other vapour into the volume. Now suppose the force in the water to act al- ternately with the force above it. Then the lb. falling could only condense 1 cubic foot of similar vapour, rising from the liquid, into,-\ ■ of a foot and the force in the water could necessarily only do the equivalent, so that we might conceive of two solid lbs. one in, and the other out, of the water constantly condensing and expanding between them a foot of vapour. Now we have no reason to suppose that the density of -..}...; to a foot of volume can be produced except when 12-27 lbs. are pressing, nor that the vapour previous to issue assumes the density of 1 lb. to the foot; but given that pressure, then the heat in the water can only evaporate . 1_ of a lb. in the same time that the weight above the water can condense it. Other weights, such as 2116 lbs. to the foot, have their proportionate effect and when there is the above equilibrium, in each instance there will be what is called a state of saturated vapour in which the pressure and density remain constant bo long as the temperature remains the same.