PART II - Comparison of Theory and Experiment

Summary

SECTION I.

Discussion of the Experiments of Baily, Bessel, Coulomb, and Dubuat.

The experiments discussed in this Section will be taken in the order which is most convenient for discussion, which happens to be almost exactly the reverse of the chronological order. I commence with the experiments of the late Mr Baily, which are described in the Philosophical Transactions for 1832, in a memoir entitled “On the Correction of a Pendulum for the Reduction to a Vacuum: together with Remarks on some anomalies observed in Pendulum experiments.”

The object of these experiments was, to determine by actual observation the correction to the time of vibration due to the presence of the air in the case of a great number of pendulums of various forms. This was effected by placing each pendulum in succession in a vacuum apparatus, by which means the pendulum, without being dismounted, could be swung alternately under the full atmospheric pressure, and in air so highly rarefied as nearly to approach to a vacuum. The paper, as originally presented to the Royal Society, contained the results obtained with 41 pendulums, the same body being counted as a different pendulum when swung in a different manner. Out of these, 14 are of such forms as to admit of comparison with theory. An addition to the paper contains the results obtained with 45 pendulums more, of which 24 admit of comparison with theory. The details of these additional experiments are omitted, the results only being given.