x Tuesday, October 6, I936 By Sydney M. Miner EMERITUS PROFESSOR G. F. Gebhardt’s statement in his book “Steam Power Plant Engineering,” that “super-power is more or less of a dream” seems to be undergoing a slight change. President Roosevelt, by calling the recent “Power confor- cnce,” and by all of his actions in connection with the power indusn try, is pointing the finger of time toward the realization of that “dream". This policy of the admire istration should be of particular in— terest to all engineering students. THE DISTRIBUTION of power from large central stations and the development of such stations them- selves has been one of the large fields in both electrical and mechanical en- gineering. The technical possibilities which would he opened up by the development of some means for un- dertaking the mammoth financial, social, and functional problems in- volved in an extension of the gov— crnment’s plans would be tremend— ous. Fields heretofore unexplored would be thrown open to the engi‘ ncer. Development of existing equip- ment and theories would proceed upon a scale which at present would be unbelievable; these and many other points are of extreme inter- est to the engineer. HOWEVER, from a social view— point, the problems and possibilities are even more involved and astound- ing. The question of “Big Busincs:l Monopolies” would here reach a new high. As to where the “smaller" power utilities (such as Common- wealth Edison and its like) would fit into the picture alongside of such organizations as can be visualized through the discussions of the Con- ference, only a seer could tell. On the other hand, complete government management might be the solution. But that brings up the old question of individual competitive enterprise vs. government competition and eventually Socialism. And so with all these problems in mind, it will be interesting to see into what the presidential powwr policy actually matcrializes. A NEW NOTE is beginning to make itself heard in the insurance field in particular and in the financial world in general. This disturbing clev merit—disturbing because it brings to View several financial questions which are rather discouraging—is the re~ cently boomed annuity business. Simply explained, an annuity is a series of payments made to a man in return for a previous deposit of a lump sum or a previous series of deposits to the paying company. As opposed to life insurance—where the only way you can beat the com- pany is by dying too soon—the an- nuity holds two intriguing argu- ments: iirst, there is a set income, upon which a person may rely for the remainder of his life; and sec- ond, the longer a person lives, the more profit he receives from his in- vestment: that is, he beats the com. pany, by living too long. ANNUITIES WERE first made prominent by the insurance companies during the depression years, when they needed “ready cash". They have grown until the collections of New York Life Insurance company, for example, totaled $41,654,538 for 1935, while premiums on new life in. surance policies only amounted to $30,898,349. THE ANNUITY question, how- ever, raises two important financial problems. With inflation in view, the investor’s dollar, instead of increas- ing by drawing interest, will decrease because of its decrease in value. Sec- ondly, with interest rates on the de— cline, and profit making investments diminishing, how can the insurance companies expect to meet the 3 to 3% per cent interest rates com— puted on annuities? As yet, the in- surance agent can only ”hem and haw" when these two questions are put to him. Potter Will. Read Paper on Physics Paper Is Result of Work for Thesis When the American Physical So- ciety meets at the University of Chi- cago this November for their annual convention, Mr. J. G. Potter of Ar- mour’s physics department will read his paper on “Contact Potentials," the result of work for his doctor’s thesis at the Sloane Physics Labora‘ tory of Yale University this sum— mer. Mr. Potter’s summer was spent in perfecting a method for the measurement of contact potentials between metal surfaces in vacuo. At the present time Mr. Potter is continuing his work at the Rycrson Laboratory of the University of Chi— cage. 'He is continuing the same work but is extending his measure— ments to include a number of other metals. Metals Vary in Work Function In the case of tungsten, Mr. Pot- ter found that the work function of tungsten at 700 degrees Centigrade exceeded that at zero degrees centi- gradc by about 0.02 volts. Because of the technical nature of Mr. Potter’s work, he has writ- ten a short e‘iplanation of it for the News. “It is well lmown that the elec» trons in a metal are in agitation with a distribution of kinetic ener— gies similar in many respects, to that of molecules of gas in a container. However, the surface of the metal acts as only a partial barrier. Elec- trons may escape through the sur- face with a certain expenditure of THE FIRST DAYS of the sc- r" mcster are usually crowded. 1%; But Camels help a lot. Camels give you a welcome "lift.” in cncrgy- stimulate digestion—bring a sense of welltlicing. And they never jungle your nerves. Camel Cigarett MULLYWUDD RADIGYRER'E! . cs bring you a Y FULLHOUR’S ENTERTAIN- pm .S.T,, 6:30 pm P S . WABC-Columbia Network. ARMOUR TECH NEWS energy known as the “work func— tion” of the metal. The size of the work function depends upon the kind of metal, and in the investigation herein described, it was found to depend to a slight extent on the temperature of the metal. “As two unlike surfaces come to electrical equilibrium they acquire charges producing a voltage between the surfaces equal to the difference of their work functions. This volt- age is known as the “Contact poten- tial" between the surfaces. It is in such a direction as to help pull cloc- trons out of the surface of higher work function and to hinder elec- trons coming from the surface of lower work function. In equilibrium, as, many electrons migrate in one din rcction as in the other. Voltmeter Introduces Errors “Although contact potentials may be of the order of several volts, they cannot be measured with a voltmeter since compensating contact poten~ tials occur between the surfaces and the leads to the meter. However, in accurate work with vacuum tubes and other electronic devices it is impor- tant to correct the applied voltages for the contact potentials between the various elements of the tube. “Lord Kelvin found that by using the surfaces to be investigated as plates of a condenser, whose capacity could be changed abruptly, he could measure the contact potential with the aid of an electrometcr and suit~ able circuits. Kelvin’s Method Used “In the present work Kelvin’s method was adapted to measure- ments of contact potentials bctwcon clean surfaces in a vacuum of about 104] atm hcros, that vacuum be— ing necessary to obtain clean sta- ble surfaces.” .T i @ldcnivurger Attends Math Meet at @550 Dr. Rufus Oldenburgcr, A1"m0ur"s new research man in mathematics, attended the International Mathc~ matical Congress early last July. As the official representative of Ar- mour Institute of Technology, Dr. Oldenburger delivered a report be- fore one of the eight sections of the Congress, on recent investigations into properties of polynomials of the third degree and higher. The Con- gress, which meets once every four years, is considered the foremost mathematical body in the world. Math Congress Received at Tea Meeting at Oslo, Norway, the Inter- national Mathematical Congress was opened by the renowned Norwegian mathematician, Professor C. Storm» er, in the presence of His Royal Highness, King I—laakon. Only the Russian and Italian delegates were absent from tho list of the thirty- fivc countries represented. During the Congress, the mathe- maticians were received at tea by His Majesty and Queen Manda at the palace, and made a trip along the Osola i’jord aboard the flagship of the Norwegian fleet, in company with the crown prince, honorary president of the Congress, and the crown princess. Oldenburgcr Has Good Reputation Dr. Oldenburgcr has acquired a reputation as a brilliant scholar, be- cause of his papers concerning mat- rices. He has; received distinction at many important mathematical meet. ings in this country, in fields other than matrices, as for example in con- jugate networks. ’I‘V‘I' Page Three Enrollment for First ARMOUR lNSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Semester—~l 9 36— I 9 3 7 N our busy lives, mealtime is apt to catch us at a disadvan- 4 rage. We're often under nervous r1 tension and physical strain. As ’9 a result, the free flow of diges~ rive fluids is slowed down. How if quickly Camels change this. For “ii when you enjoy Camels the digestive fluids are gently and Copyright, 1936, R. J. Ruynoldfl Tobacco Commmy. a ~ a. . ‘9 CIJHNARY MASTER~ PIECES by the Chcfof Washington‘s famous Hotel ShorchamJicrc the joy of liv- ing is the keynote ofthc cos- mopolitan patronage. Rare dishes gathered from world markets delight the taste. And Camels dot the tables of the diners. Robert—”mine d’ba‘tcl — observes: "People demand the rfincst in foods and they also demand the finest in cigarettes. Camels arc theoutstanding favorite.” In a pamphlet now out of print, the son of Charles Goodyear forecast some of the “infinite variety of uses” to which rubber would he put. This prophetic list, published in 1844, named rubber a substitute for leather, oiled cloth, haircloth, paper, silk, and parchment, among other things. Thirty—one types of welding~ are in common use today. Economic pres- sure and sharp criticism have been important factors in improving weld— . . 3 a ll) 0 m E m E E E .3 a .2: a .2 s a Mechanicals 1 42 5o 49 5 147? Electricals . . . . . . 35 25 25 10 95 Civils .. ........ 1 28 19 16 2 66 Chemicals . . . . . . 5 40 43 45 1 134 Fire Protection . . 2 14 13 14 1 44 Architects .. 1 13 12 21 15 5 6'? Science ........ 6 l 6 1: Engineering and Science ...... 258 1 259 Total . . ...... 10 178 163 176 273 25 825 41 Students in A. Group, Ctr-operative Course in Mechanical Engineering 40 Students in B Group, Couoperative Course in Mechanical Engineering ing technique, materials, apparatus, ODD FACTS and procedures. Tensile strengths of welded joints have been raised from 40,000 and 50,000 pounds per square inch to 65,000 to 75,000 pounds per square inch. With special materials, tensile strengths of 100,000 pounds per square inch are obtained. A. machine has been developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology which reproduces earthquakes. By means of an extremely sensitive electric eye, seismog'raph curves are followed and the resulting motions are studied in an attempt to learn more about the nature of earthquakes. taste. Camels set on Ca. sol an With camels... mealtime is more pleasantmdigeation is atlmula'tcdwailtaiinity increased naturally restored to fuller flow. Alkalinity is increased. Time and again, physiologi have checked this welcome effect of smoking Camels. Camels are mild—you can en- ioy them any time. They never ianglc your nerves or tire your cal laboratories you, right! riucnv min lE-DWIL. Miss UvaKimmcy{1r-fl},Amcrica‘s tsraliding girl parachute jumper with 48 iumps to her credit, says: "I smoke Camels for digestion’s sake. They encourage digestion in a pleasant way. “THERE'S MINING like a Incl to set you right,” says Bill Ferguson {be/aw}, crack csman. "Camels give me extra sense of well—being and contentment. I always smoke them as an aid to digestion.”