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The Spike or Victoria University College Review September 1927

Mathematical and Physical Society

Mathematical and Physical Society.

The activities of the Society were continued on June 14th, when a paper was given by Mr. Kalaugher on "Map Construction." Mr. Kulaugher showed us how a number of common map projections were obtained mathe matically. describing their advantages and disadvantages. The lecture was illustrated by a number of maps and lantern slides.

At the fifth meeting Mr. White presented a paper on "Piezo-electric Resonators." Mr. White described in detail the piezo-electric properties of quartz, showing by models and illustrations how the crystal develops an electric charge when distorted. The methods of using these properties for the generation of standard frequency waves, the measurement of the velocity of sound, and several other interesting applications were then described. The lecture was illustrated by lantern slides and experiments.

Miss A. M. Downes and Mr. G. A..Peddie presented the sixth paper on our programme, the subject being "Nomography." This is a mathematical subject dealing with a graphical method of finding solutions for complex expressions and for deriving results from experimental data. The monogram or graph from which the results are obtained is chiefly of use where a large number of results has to be derived from one equation, but the purely mathematical interest lies of course in obtaining the nomogram to Start with. The lecturers dealt with the subject in a very interesting manner, illustrating the discussion with some excellent lantern slides made by Mr Peddie.

At the seventh meeting Mr. J. W. Harding dealt with a very difficult subject, "The Aether," referring to the luminiferous aether through which the sun's light is supposed to reach us and to which the phenomena of heat and electric radiation are supposed to owe their existence.

Mr. Harding explained the growth of the ideas on light, beginning with the earliest thinkers and experimenters, and showed how it became necessary, if experimental facts were to be explained, to say that light was a form of wave-motion and not a corpuscular radiation as Newton had held it to be. With this explanation it was essential to have a medium in which the wave-motion could take place and experimental results in light and other branches of physics were held to warrant sufficiently the assumption that all space was filled with a substance called the "aether." The "aether" was thus created in imagination and numerous ingenious experiments have been devised to prove its existence directly, but the "aether" remains as elusive as ever.

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On August 22nd Mr. F. F. Miles presented a paper on the "Theory of Probability." Mr. Miles dealt in a very interesting manner with this subject, working from the purely mathematical point of view, but he managed to illustrate his remarks with illustrations from the use of the theory in insurance work, in statistics, and also its application to gambling. It was on the latter point that the lecturer found his audience most sympathetic, and after the lecture a lively discussion took place on such things as "systems" in "Rouge et Noire" and horse racing, and the deviation from experience of the theory of coin tossing.

During supper Professor Florance, on behalf of the Society and the advanced Physics Class, expressed our regret at losing Miss Marwick, Miss Marwick has been a very active worker in the interests of the Society and has contributed very materially to its success. We are all sorry to lose her, but hope that she will enjoy her stay in England. As a token of our regard Professor Florance presented Miss Marwick with a leather travelling case.

On 12th July the Society paid a visit to the Government Statistician's Office, where we were shown all the complicated machinery employed in adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and sorting the multitude of data brought in on the census papers. We have to thank Mr. Fraser, Government Statistician, for this very interesting visit.

On 16th August a visit was paid to the Hector Observatory, Kelburn. It is at this Observatory that the work of keeping standard time for the Dominion is done, and Doctor C. E. Adams explained how the clocks are kept correct by transit observations and by checking with the clocks of Europe and America by radio. The standard clock controls a substandard which does a number of interesting things, such as sending radio and line telegraphic time signals, lighting signal lights, and dropping a time ball at Auckland.

Another interesting phase of the work at the Observatory was explained to us, namely, the seismographs. We passed a vote of thanks to Dr. Adams for this instructive visit and will take this opportunity of endorsing that vote.

The Society has had a very successful year, the standard of the papers being high and the interest shown in them equally great. Our thanks are due to Mrs. Florance, Mrs. Sommerville and Miss Marwick for their kindness to the Society at suppertime.