By a finite lattice† is meant any finite class having the following properties:

In a previous paper the author has examined the various types of non-singular surfaces of sectional genus four; in the present work the same method is applied to non-singular surfaces of sectional genus five. The examination of this case completes the classification of non-singular surfaces in higher space as far as those of the seventh order; for a septimic surface of sectional genus six, necessarily normal in S4, must lie on a quadric, and its characters may be determined from this fact.

In recent seismological work several questions have arisen concerning the construction of tables from data containing a certain amount of accidental error, and it seems that some of the methods may be of more general interest. The first is the problem of smoothing. A method suggested by Dr L. J. Comrie was as follows. Suppose that we have values of y for five equally spaced values of x, and that we wish to make the second differences vary as smoothly as possible. We try to find a cubic polynomial such that the sum of the squares of the deviations of y from it will be a minimum. It is found that the polynomial is less than the observed value of y at the centre of the range by of the central fourth difference; or approximately by of the fourth difference. I have since found that the method had previously been suggested by Sir G. H. Darwin. It gives a great improvement in the steadiness of the differences and thereby makes interpolation much easier.

E. Trefftz has discussed the problem of the torsion of a beam whose cross-section is bounded by a polygon with the help of the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation given by

where a1, a2, …, an are external angles of the polygon in the w-plane, and ξ1, ξ2, …, ξn are the points on the real ξ-axis in the t-plane that correspond to the angular points of the polygon in the w-plane. In the case of regular polygons a further transformation of the upper half of the t-plane into the interior of a circle in the z-plane with the help of the transformation

greatly simplifies the problem, and some definite results can be obtained.

The quantum theory of the electron allows states of negative kinetic energy as well as the usual states of positive kinetic energy and also allows transitions from one kind of state to the other. Now particles in states of negative kinetic energy are never observed in practice. We can get over this discrepancy between theory and observation by assuming that, in the world as we know it, nearly all the states of negative kinetic energy are occupied, with one electron in each state in accordance with Pauli's exclusion principle, and that the distribution of negative-energy electrons is unobservable to us on account of its uniformity. Any unoccupied negative-energy states would be observable to us, as holes in the distribution of negative-energy electrons, but these holes would appear as particles with positive kinetic energy and thus not as things foreign to all our experience. It seems reasonable and in agreement with all the facts known at present to identify these holes with the recently discovered positrons and thus to obtain a theory of the positron.

The test of significance of the difference between two means was extended by means of Fisher's methods of analysis of variance to test jointly the differences between several means, the test being essentially the same as the test of significance of two variances. But though it is true in many cases that we are chiefly concerned with two independent estimates of variance, and the method of analysis of variance is available, the problem of jointly testing the variances obtained from several independent samples does not fit obviously into this scheme.

The surfaces whose prime-sections are hyperelliptic curves of genus p have been classified by G. Castelnuovo. If p > 1, they are the surfaces which contain a (rational) pencil of conics, which traces the on the prime-sections. Thus, if we exclude ruled surfaces, they are rational surfaces. The supernormal surfaces are of order 4p + 4 and lie in space [3p + 5]. The minimum directrix curve to the pencil of conics—that is, the curve of minimum order which meets each conic in one point—may be of any order k, where 0 ≤ k ≤ p + 1. The prime-sections of these surfaces are conveniently represented on the normal rational ruled surfaces, either by quadric sections, or by quadric sections residual to a generator, according as k is even or odd.

Many of the most frequently used applications of the theory of statistics, such for example as the methods of analysis of variance and covariance, the general test of multiple regression and the test of a regression coefficient, depend essentially on the joint distribution of several quadratic forms in a univariate normal system. The object of this paper is to prove the main-relevant results about this distribution. As an application of these results, the theory involved in the method of analysis of covariance will be investigated.

Two perpendicular intersecting straight lines will be said to be normal to each other. Then the Petersen-Morley theorem is: Given arbitrarily three lines a, b, c, let a′ be the unique normal to b and c, b′ that to c and a, and c′ that to a and b; then the lines x, y, z, normal respectively to the pairs of lines a and a′, b and b′, c and c′, have a common normal.

In a paper by Mr Lyons and myself an elementary proof of the following theorem was given:

Given three lines a, b, c in space, if a′ is the line of shortest distance of b and c, b′ that of c and a, and c′ that of a and b; and if x is the line of shortest distance of a and a′, y that of b and b′, and z that of c and c′, then x, y, z have a common line of shortest distance.

Professor Oystein Ore of Yale University has kindly called my attention to the close relation between my paper and some earlier researches of Dedekind. I should like to correlate, as far as possible, my results with his.

Tests of the simple type of cloud-chamber previously described by C. T. R. Wilson(1), using various ionising sources, indicate that satisfactory photographs can be obtained over a range of final pressures in the chamber extending from atmospheric down to 7 cm. of mercury.

Observations are described in which a cloud chamber was used to detect a penetrating radiation apparently produced in thunderclouds. Comparisons are made between the results obtained by Schonland and Viljoen in South Africa, there being a similarity in the magnitude of the effect observed. An analysis of the directions of arrival of the particles shows that the most favoured direction is from the north at a large angle to the direction of the magnetic field of the earth. The results obtained, though not conclusive, encourage a continuation of the experiments.

Owing to its physical and chemical properties being greatly different from those of any of the liquids which have hitherto been used in the Wilson cloud chamber, mercury has been used in the experiments described in this paper and the condensation phenomena of its vapour at different temperatures observed. Before constructing the apparatus it was considered necessary to get from theoretical considerations some idea about the magnitude of the critical supersaturation for mercury vapour in equilibrium with a drop carrying unit charge. Assuming that J. J. Thomson's formula.

where s is the supersaturation of mercury vapour in equilibrium with a drop of mercury of radius a, charge e, density σ and surface tension T, the value of which is assumed here to be independent of the radius of the drop, K the specific inductive capacity of the dielectric surrounding the drop, and R the gas constant for one gramme of weight, all at temperature θ, can be applied to the present problem, this critical supersaturation sm is given by the formula

When I was invited by Christ's College to deliver this year the Liversidge Lecture, it was indicated to me kindly but firmly that I was to talk about heavy hydrogen. I appreciate most deeply the honour you have done me by this invitation, especially by coupling my name (as it were) with this distinguished American newcomer to physical and chemical science. I cannot claim myself to be much more than an interested spectator of the rapid progress which has already been made in the study of this new substance, and the facts that I shall comment on (and the many others which time will force me to neglect) have been established by the collaboration of many workers—some of them our colleagues here, who would be much better qualified to speak at first hand about heavy hydrogen than I. Professor Liversidge laid it down in his deed of gift that his lecturer shall not deal with generalities or give a mere review of his subject, or give an instructional lecture suitable for undergraduates, but shall primarily try to encourage research and to stimulate himself and his audience to think, and to acquire new knowledge. In trying to fulfil his wish I shall not therefore catalogue all the new interesting properties of heavy hydrogen; this will mean, I fear, that I can make little or no further reference to its extremely exciting properties as an atomic projectile in disintegrating lithium and other nuclei, or to the equally exciting prospect that heavy water may have entirely distinct biological properties from ordinary water, being even lethal to many organisms, or to the wonderful possibilities of the new complex organic chemistry.

This paper illustrates the problems of general linear propagation mainly by analysis of the conditions necessary for effective resonance, which are now of great technical importance. Another theory is also broached, that of the relation of the arterial pulse to the blood-flow, first explored with adequate hydraulic instincts by Young in 1808.

Three main stages may be marked in the development of the theory of the optical properties of metals. First, there is Drude's original theory, based on Maxwell's equations; in this theory the current density j at any point in a metal is supposed to be equal to the product of the electric vector of the light and of the conductivity of the metal. The theory yields the well-known Hagen-Rubens formula for the reflecting power, which appears to be in agreement with experiment for very long wave-lengths (λ > 10μ), but leads to completely incorrect results in the optical region. Various investigators ‡ have therefore modified the theory to take account of the finite mass of the electron; the formulae obtained pass over into the Drude formulae for sufficiently long wave-lengths. Finally a quantum theory of the phenomenon has been given by Kronig§, the electrons being treated as moving in a periodic field due to the crystal lattice in the manner originated by Bloch; this theory, in its turn, becomes identical with the modified classical theory if the periodic lattice is neglected.