Abstract
WE regret to have to acknowledge a mistake which we have made in a communication to the Paris Académie des Sciences, reproduced in NATURE of Aug. 27. It refers to the densities of helium; it does not affect the experimental results, nor the conclusion that helium has been split into two portions of unequal density; but it affects the figures assigned to these densities. The hypothetical case was stated that a mixture of four volumes of oxygen and one volume of hydrogen would diffuse in equal times, and therefore could not be separated. This conclusion is of course wholly wrong, and likewise in consequence the densities calculated for helium on a similar supposition. The densities of the two fractions of helium are therefore those found experimentally, viz. 1˙874 and 2˙133. It is right to observe that these figures stand for densities calculated from the observed rates of diffusion, and not from direct weighings.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RAMSAY, W., COLLIE, J. An Error Corrected. Nature 54, 546 (1896). https://doi.org/10.1038/054546d0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/054546d0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.