Table Of ContentSCIENTIFIC
AMUSEMENT
BY
TOM1~IT
Translated From the French and
Adapted by
CARGILL G. KNOTT, O.Sc., LL.0
UNIVERSl1Y or EotNBURCH
GmE&.u.Sll.CRErARY RovAJ.Socr£JY or El»_'<llURCN
PREFACE
THE fNCENIOUS e.'-periments and reaeations
described by "Tom Tit ' in his three volumes of 1..1
Science Amusame ha'"' long delighted the young people
of France. To present some of 1hcse in English gllfb, so
that our youth might find therein ''-' great delight, is cl1e
aim of u1is volwne.
'Ille most characteristic parts of lhe Second and Third
Series of cliese fascinating glimpses into scientific 1ruth
bave been considerably rearranged, and IO them have
been added a fe\V nav e.xperin1ents and descriptions.
In ITanslating and paraphrasing the contents of Tom
Ti(s inimitable ~. I have tried IO prescr\'e the playful
spirit of lhc original as well as iis fidelity IO tlie lrulhs of
science. One pleasing feature of lhe whole method is lhe
continual appeal to the manipulati"c skill of tl1e reader.
There is al"rays son1ething to do or to construct., co test
or to make to go. Let no one be content ,vjl.b n1ere
reacling.
C. G. KNO'!T
T HE UNJVERSJ1'Y,
EDINBURGH
PART !.-PRACTICAL GEOMETRY.
I. The Necessary Instruments
2. To divide a Square into Five Equal Squares
3. TI1e Square and Rectangle
4. TI1e Equilateral Triangle-TI1e Regular He.""S"n
5. The Pentagon and the Five-pointed Star
6. Sum of Angles ofa Triangle
7. The Trisection of an Angle
8. TI1e Square of the Hypotenuse
9. To Draw an Ellipse
I 0. The Elliptic Compasses
11. To Trace an Oval ";th a Pair of Compasses
12. Construction of a Pa)>er Sphere
J 3. 111e Paper Ladder
J 4. A Paper Ladder by a Single Cut
IS. Su1face of !he Sphere
16. TI1e Reclang!e and i1s Diagonals
17. To conslfUCla Hexogon by Finger P1ts5lu'e
18. '[be Five-Pointed &ar ,viiJ1 a Single Cul
19. ·n1e Seven Penl;).g()lls
20. •A Camel through lhe Needle's Eye
2 J. Circular into Rectilinear Motion
22. 'I11e Lrn::rsc Shado"~
23. A Cylinder Transfonnecl into a Pyramid
24. By Two Cu1s to 01ru11,-e a Re..-.,ingle into a Square
25. 111e Ma.mmun E1ntlope
26. Puwe Squares
27. 111e Four Z:s and rhe Four L's
28. TI1e Uni,-ersal Plug
PART II.· PHYSICAL FXPERIMENTS.
I. WEIGHT AND .EQUILIBRIUM OF SOLIDS
29. The Obediem Egg-'111e Disobedient Egg
30. The Sawyer
SJ. The Bird on u1e Bough
32. 'fbe Candles on d1e Christmas Tree
SS. The Ring Rolling Up the Inclined Plane
34, Body Rolling Up Inclined Rails
35. The CancUe Sec-saw
36. TI1c Foucault PcndLuurn
Il. EQUILIBRIUM OF FLUIDS: PRESSURE.
37. Superposed Liquids
38. The Principle of Archimedes
39. TI1e Principle of Archin1edcs (continued)
40. A Lumf>0fSugar Floating on Water
41. free lutercl1ange
42. Ma'<imurn Density Point of \.Vatcr
43. Deceptive Boiling
411. Density increased by Heating
45. The Fish that Dies illtd Lives Ag:iin
46. The Automatic l'l<tnger
47. The C:utcsian Diver
4S. C.vbooic Acid Gas Dcnsei· ~•an Air
49. The Oauaids' Reco''CfJ'
.SO. TI1e Miniature Fowuain
5.l. Weiglu Supported by Auuospheric l'l·essure
52. TI1e Intermir.tem ~ountain
53. Water Trough for Po1~try
54. AJetof\'line Issuing from \.Vater
55. Hydraulic Paradox
56. The Vase of Tantalus
ill. INERTIA AND MOMENTUM.
57. The Coin and the Paper Ring
58. Moment oflnertia
59. Recording of Mm'Clnents
60. TI1e Sphygmogroph
61. TI1e Conical PendLdum
62. Tbe Wall of Cords
63. Barker's Mill
64. TI1e Figure of die Earth
65. Oyn~tmics of F1-esb and Hard-boiled Es!,"
66. 1ne Washing Out of Gold
67. A \>\'hirlpool iu a Carafe
68. The F.gg Spinning-top
69. The Principle of the Pulley - Block a Child Pulling
Against Four Men
70. Lcvclling: l11e Watch Lc''CI
7 l. Review of u\e Fleet
IV. CAPILLARITY AND SURF ACE TENSION.
72. Surface 1'eusion: Soap Bubbles and F"Jiros
73. ·n1e Sliding S1idge
74. Vil.ms with Fle.'1ble BolU>daries
75. 111e Gluttouous Matches
76. TI1e Surface Skin on Pure Water
77. Capillaricy
78. C1pillruy Attraction and Repulsion
·n,e
79. S11iichback Tr:ick
80. C1pi1Jary Rise Greater in die N:1trcmer Space
81. '!be Boy's Sucker: 111e Radish Lifter
82. Paper dipped in Ink, But Not Inked
83. Cohesion
84. The Rotating Spiral
85. The Camphor Mill
86. 111e Helix
87. Soap Films in a Conical Tube
88. Eleclrificarion of Soap Bubbles
89. The Flowers of Ice.
90. Thee Soap Bubbles One Within lhe Other
91. The Soap Bubble as an Air Blast
92. Two Bubbles Combining os One
93. TI1e Opening and Closing Flower
94. 111e Sphere in lhc Cylinder
95. Oae Bubble Rolling Inside Anoilicr
V. ELASTICITY
96. The Pop-Gun
97. The Pea-shooter, or Shooting-Tube
98. 111e Leaping Coin
99. 111e AITectiooate Flame
100. 111cJumping Pen
101. A Modem Caiapult
I 02. 'f'he Spring ofA ir
I 03. 111e Candle Md TI1e Funnel
VI. HEAT.
I 04. E~'Pansion of Solid Rods
I 0.5. The Bellows BI01•ing Hot or Cold
l 06. 'lne Candle in the L'lmp Shade
I 07. Partial Vacua produced by Heal
I OS.. ·ri1e Broken Bottle made Serviceable
I 09. \•\later Boiled "itl> Neither Fire nor Pan
110. The Boilingof\Varcr
111. TI1e Gliding Tumbler
112. Absorption of Hear
113. To Retard tl1e Rate ofC ooling
114. The Water Hammer: boiling Water by Cooling
115. Barker's Mill nith Steam
VD.SOUND.
116. Vibrations ofa \Vme Glass
117. TI1c Musical Vifire
I 18. The Mo.u1ing Rode
I 19. A '1\ibophone" of Cardboard
VIIl. OPTICS.
J 20. ReO<:<:tioo of Ligb1 at tl1e Swface ofTr:ws1mem
Bodies
121. TI1e ~1.'lgic Box
122. Coloured Shadows
123. Convex and Concave Lenses
124. 111e Buming Glass
125. An Optical lllusion: 111e Merry 111ough1 of a Duck
126. TI1e Bird in die Cige
l 27. Difficult Reading Made Luy
12$. '!'he Phaniom Fonns
129. The Top as a Matcher ofT int<
l 30. After ln>.iges
l 3 l. TI1e Silvered Egg
132. Reflection and Refraction of Light
I SS. Don Quixote's Delusion
134. lnterforence Bands: d1e Furrowed Images
l 35. Ne"ton's Rings
136. The Con verging Arcs
IX. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM.
J,37. The Electrified Tumbler
138. The Electroscope
139. The Swinging Dice
140. Electric Shado"'
141. 'fi1c Boxer <md ~·1e Kani;;troo
142. R·otation of a Ring Before a Magnet
PART ill.-RECREATIONS-AND TRICKS.
143. The Tiueatening Scissors
144. Multiple Titreading of a Needle
145. The Trial of Patience
146. To 0.1t Class "i~1 Scissors
147. Left-H;uided Writing and Ora"ing
I •18. TI1e Immovable Coin
149. Finger Gymnastics
·nie
150. Automatic £.,'tinguisher
151. Nutcrackers
152. Candle--•':l~ Lilies
153. The Mysterious Bottle
154. A Night-Light of Horse Chesmut
155. The P:i_radoxical Coupling
156. Paper Puppets
157. TI1e Lively Puppets
158. TI1e Treacherous Cbss of'vVater
159. Tbe Shuttlecock Parachutes
160. TI1e Boomerang
16 J. The Holling Dice
162. \l\lriting on lht Forehead
163. 'n1e Knotted Cord
164. Card Arrangements
165 Tbe To,,er of Hanoi
I 66. Hunning the Foxto Earth
167. A Stable Lantern
J68. A Carriage Lamp
169. l11c Bottle Bell
I 70. Chen1·-.oone Chains
I 71 . The Bean Tric
172. TI1e Snare
L7 3. The Knife ia the Tree
174. 1ne Napkin and the Chair
175. ·n1e lmpalp.~ble Cord
176. The K~-y scl Free
177. T'q;htecing Iron \.Yirc
178. 't11e Calle1y of Vesta Freaks
