Beeton's illustrated dictionary of the physical sciences including astronomy, botany, chemistry, geology, physiology, electricity, acoustics, light, heat, etc. : illustrated with pictorial and explanatory woodcuts / [Samuel Orchart Beeton].

  • Beeton, Samuel Orchart, 1831-1877.
Date:
[1886?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Beeton's illustrated dictionary of the physical sciences including astronomy, botany, chemistry, geology, physiology, electricity, acoustics, light, heat, etc. : illustrated with pictorial and explanatory woodcuts / [Samuel Orchart Beeton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    beautiful cryptogamous plants are familiar forms of alpine vegetation. ALPINIA, al-pin'-i-a (from Prosper Alpin, a celebrated botanist), a genus of aromatic herb- aceous plants, in the natural order Zingibcracece, the Ginger tribe. The roots of the species A. galanga and A. chinensis constitute respectively the Java and Chinese, or greater and lesser galangals. These roots have similar properties to ginger, and are used for the same purposes. The ovoid China cardamum, used in veterinary medicine, is the fruit of A. alba. The seeds of this plant are commonly employed as a condi- ment by the Chinese. ALSINEAE, al-sin'-c-e, the duckweed sub- order of Caryoplujllacece. There are numerous genera ; Alsine, Oerastium, Arenaria, and Stel- laria, being examples. (See Caiiyopiiyllace/E. ) ALSODEAE, al-sa'-de-e, in Bot., one of the two sub-orders into which the natural order Viol- accce has been divided. The species have regular flowers, with anthers not furnished with ap- pendages. (See Violaceas, Violet.) ALSTONIA, al-sto'-ne-a, a genus of dicoty- ledonous plants, belonging to the natural order Apocynacece, the Dog-bane tribe. The species A. scholaris has a bitter tonic astringent wood, and is a native of South America. ALSTRCEME RIA, al-stre-meer'-i-a, a genus of plants belonging to the Amaryllis order, or Amaryllidacece. The species are all South American. Their leaves are twisted, so that what should be the upper surface becomes the lower; the tuberous roots are eaten; and in Chili a kind of arrow-root is prepared from them. ALTERNATION,aAicj'-nai'-s/iM)?,in Mathe- matics, a term applied to the changes of orders in any number, called also Permutation. It is found by a continual multiplication of all the numbers; thus, to know how many changes can be rung on six bells, multiply the numbers i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 continually into one another, and the last product is the answer. AH-.ni-na.tion of Generations, (See Generations, Alternation of.) ALTERN BASE, aiol'-tcrn, in Mathema- tics, a term used in contradistinction to the true base. Thus, in oblique triangles, the true base is either the sum of the sides (the difference of the sides then forming the true base), or the true base is the difference ; in which case the sum is the altern base. ALTHAEA, al-the'-a (Gr., althco, I heal), the marsh-mallow, a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Malvaceae. (See Marsh-mallow.) ALTITUDE, al'-ti-tude (Lat., altitudo, height), is the height of a celestial body above the horizon. It is measured by the angle winch a line from the eye to the star or planet makes with the horizontal line. An altitude may be true or apparent. If it be taken from the real horizon, the altitude is true ; if from the apparent or sensible horizon, the altitude is apparent; or rather, the apparent altitudo is that which appears to our observation, and the true is that from which the refraction is subtracted. The true altitudes of the heavenly bodies differ hut little from their apparent altitudes, on account of their distance from the earth’s centre, and the smallness of the earth’s semi-diameter compared thereto. In observatories, altitudes are taken by means of telescopes attached to graduated circles, and at sea, by instruments called sextants. Altitude, in Geometry, one of the dimensions of a body, being the same with what is commonly called height. The altitude of a figure is the distance of its vertex from its base ; in other words, it is the length of a perpendicular line let fall from the vertex to the base. The altitude of a cone is measured by a line perpendicular to the plane of the base, drawn between the vertex and base of the cone. ALUM, al’ -um (Lat., alumen), a salt con- sisting of sulphate of alumina in combination with sulphate of potash, soda, or ammonia. Potash and ammonia alum are used in dyeing, in calico-printing, in paper-making, in the manu- facture of colours, and in medicine. Alum is obtained by submitting alum-shale, or alum-slab, which consists of alumina, iron pyrites, and coaly matter, to the action of fire in enormous heaps for one or two years. During the combustion, the sulphur of the non pyrites (sulphide of iron) combines with the oxygen and alumina, forming sulphate of alumina, which is dissolved out of the cooled mass by water. This solution is then converted into alum by the addition of either sulphate of potash or sulphate of ammonia, the latter being most generally used on account of its cheapness. Ammonia alum is more valuable than potash alum, from containg if 90 per cent, of alumina, which is the active ingredient, while potash alum contains but io’82 per cent. Soda alum is not used in the arts. The great use of alum in dyeing and printing is on account of the property possessed by alumina of uniting with and precipitating certain vegetable substances in an insoluble form. Alum is also used in the preparation of leather; and in medicine is a power- ful astringent. Alum rarely occurs in nature, except in a few springs and some extinct volcanoes, where it appears to have been formed by the action of the vapours of sulphuric acid. Muslin dipped in a solution of alum is rendered incombustible. Alum-Root, a name given to the root of the Geranium maculatum, which contains much tannin. It is used in North America as an astringent. Alumstone or Alunite,—A mineral found near Civita Vecchia, in Georgia, at Pic-de-Lancy, in Prance, and in the Grecian archipelago. It consists of alumina 37-13, sulphuric acid38‘53, potash ix'34, and water 13. It is one of the principal sources of alum. ALUMINA, a-lu'-mi-na, the sesqui-oxide of he earth-metal aluminium, the principal con- itituent of clays. It occurs in nature in com- >ination with silica and other bases. Felspar s a silicate of alumina and potash. (See Fel- spar and Granite.) The hydrate is obtained in ;he form of a gelatinous precipitate, by adding immonia, or carbonate of ammonia, to a solution jf alum. By drying and igniting, it is changed nto the anhydorus sesqui-oxide, insoluble in .vater, but soluble in acids and alkalies. Mr Walter Crum has discovered a modification or illotropic condition of alumina, produced by uniting bi-acetate of alumina, which is soluble in vater, and forms a translucent coagulum with dye- ,voods. By the addition of a small quantity ot icid, alkali, or even neutral salt precipitation of ilumina, a third allotropic condition takes ilace; this form being insoluble 111 acids, but soluble in alkalies. By the use of the oxy- iiydrogen blow-pipe, aluminum is fusible. It iccurs in nature in a crystallized form, the loarscr specimens forming emery powder. The transparent crystals when of a blue colour, ow mg