Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1914 — ELECTRICITY IN RAIN DROPS [ARTICLE]

ELECTRICITY IN RAIN DROPS

German Scientist- Has Measured the Charge—Describes Result* of ,His Investigation. • Rain drops are almost always charged with electricity. The charge Is often positive, rarely negative. Many observers have measured the charge approximately and made It from 0.000,000,000,000,000,01 to 0.000.000,000,000,001 amperes per square centimetre. Prof. F. Herath of Kiel describes In the Revue Electrique the experfmenta by which he has measured them. He received the rain on a fine metallic cloth 26 metres square Insulated and attached to a galvanometer in a cellar. The galvanometer registered photographically. Among the facts he proves are these: Rains with a constantly positive charge are much more frequent than those that change to a negative. The passage from a positive to a negative charge corresponds to a momentary cessation of the shower. The quantity of positive electricity brought by the rain 1b fifteen times greater than that of the negative. The positive currents in a steady rainfall are about 0.000,000,000,000,000,1 amperes per square centimetre; the negative currents never exceed 0.000,000,000,000*001 amperes per square centimetre.