Page:Various Forces of Matter.djvu/134

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122
ELECTRICITY.

to pass from the cylinder to the jet, but the gas did not light.] Ah! the gas did not light, but you saw the spark; there is perhaps some draught in the room which blew the gas on one side, or else it would light; we will try this experiment afterwards. You see from the spark that I can transfer the power from the machine to this cylinder, and then carry it away and give it to some other body. You know very well as a matter of experiment that we can transfer the power of heat from one thing to another; for if I put my hand near the fire it becomes hot. I can show you this by placing before us this ball which has just been brought red-hot from the fire. If I press this wire to it some of the heat will be transferred from the ball, and I have only now to touch this piece of gun-cotton with the hot wire and you see how I can transfer the heat from the ball to the wire and from the wire to the cotton. So you see that some powers are transferable and others are not. Observe how long the heat stops in this ball. I might touch it with the wire, or with my finger, and if I did so quickly, I should merely burn the surface of the skin; whereas if I touch that cylinder, however rapidly, with my finger, the