Homepage

Record

RefNoAP/33/1
LevelItem
TitleUnpublished letter, 'Explanation of the so-called "mysterious circles"' from Robert H Atherton to the President of the Royal Society
CreatorAtherton; Robert H (fl 1850)
Date24 April 1850
DescriptionAtherton refers to explanations which have been given of a card trick, of which he proposes to give a new one, and points out various courses which the propelled air may be supposed to to take with reference to the cards. He then offers what he considers to be the true explanation of the phenomenon. He considers that no sooner has the air struck upon the loose card, than it is reflected, spreading partly, if not entirely, over its surface, and then ascends, carrying with it the interposing atmosphere, and excluding the surrounding air. This, he submits, is analogous to ordinary suction, and by this means the loose card is at once drawn up and fixed. He considers that the reflected air, thus rising and driven out by the descending current, will have additional power when the fixed card is considerably larger than the other.

Subject: Pneumatics

Received 28 November 1850 / 2 February 1851. Read 6 March 1851. Communicated by the Earl of Rosse.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 6 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'On the explanation of the so-called "mysterious circles"'.
Extent12p
FormatManuscript
PhysicalDescriptionInk on paper
Digital imagesView item on Science in the Making
AccessStatusOpen
AccessConditionsNot available to view, off site for conservation. Please refer to digital surrogate on Science in the Making.
RelatedMaterialDOI: 10.1098/rspl.1850.0012
Fellows associated with this archive
CodePersonNameDates
NA8084Parsons; William (1800 - 1867); 3rd Earl of Rosse1800 - 1867
Add to My Items
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance

    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance

    Useful Links

    Collection highlights

    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance
    Botanical paintings by Jacob van Huysum and William Sartorius
    Botanical paintings by Jacob van Huysum and William Sartorius
    Photographs of British algae: cyanotype impressions
    Photographs of British algae: cyanotype impressions
    New Letter Books
    New Letter Books
    Browse Collections

    The Royal Society

    The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of
    the world's most eminent scientists and is the
    oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
    Registered charity number 207043

    Website design ©CalmView



    CONTACT US

    + 44 207 451 2500
    (Lines open Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00. Excludes bank holidays)

    6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG

    Email Us →

    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to our newsletters to be updated with the
    latest news on innovation, events, articles and reports.

    Subscribe →

    © CalmView