Woodbury High School - Warrior Yearbook (Woodbury, CT)

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um are ever widening and any new substance cheaper to produce and with the same amount of radiation should certainly be welcomed. In attempts to transmute elements, various things have been used to bombard the nucleus, including alpha particles, protons, deutons, neutrons and electrons of the electric current. To get the maximum amount of destruction by use of electrons, immense static machines have been perfected, which are capable of producing enormous voltage. Deutons are the heaviest and most efficient so far employed. The attraction which holds the atom together is great and when it is shattered by bombardment much energy is released. Along with transmutation there is a possibility of finding a way to tap the atom for its energy. At present there arc attempts being made to transmute elements on a profitable basis. It would be very important if a way was perfected to change cheap and plentiful elements to rare and more useful ones. In 1932 Drs. Urey, Murphy, and Brickwedde of this country showed that there was a second type of hydrogen twice as heavy as the familiar type. Professor Urey named this new type deuterium, indicated by the symbol D”. Deuterium combined with oxygen yields deuterium oxide, otherwise known as heavy water. The effects of this i---■ water on all forms of animal and plant life, and in combination with various chemical elements and compounds, are being tested at present. A short while ago Lord Rutherford and his colleagues of Cambridge, England, performed an experiment which amounted to bombarding deutons with deutons. From his results he predicted either a very heavy hydrogen atom or a new type of helium. Recent experiments by American experts point toward the existance of this third type of hydrogen. There is also reason to believe that when deutons collide head-on a new type of helium is formed. These two new forms of hydrogen open up a vast unexplored field to the organic chemist. There arc a limitless number of undreamed of possibilities which are likely to result from these aforementioned experiments and from ones being conducted now along similiar lines. Slowly but surely mankind will surmount the difficulties which arise and eventually a foundation will be founded on which he can build. Who knows what further insight into the structure of matter may reveal? Probably things which would seem absolutely astounding to us now. So was it in the past and so will it be in the future. Science seeks the facts regardless of how mysterious they may seem or how far they may lead us. CLASS PHOPHECY” Extracts from a Diary read at some future date. Esther Lundin—Polly Overton Well now she’s done it. Nettie has the opera world raving over her, and radio is clamouring for her Betty Boop programs. However, Nettie confidently told me that she would rather strain for high C than to be put back in the ink bottle at the end of every program. Today an auction took up my time. The first thing to attract my attention was the auctioneer, or rather the woman who took the part of the aucioneer. Even Mr. Judson takes a back seat when Catherine Minor appears. She learned a great deal about the art of voice to be heard in W. H. S.—by observation. A very interesting news real that I saw today showed Anne Plungis picking up a whip and gun and dauntlessly entering the cage of an untrained tiger. The fight that followed would even be too much for Floyd Gibbons. Of course, the tiger lost because he was at a disadvantage for he had never had the opportunity to improve his agility by practiciag on the W. H. S. girls’ basketball team as Anne did. Met Louise Smith today. She confided in me that she has bought a sugar plantation down South and intends to devote her time to learning to raise cain. Sounds as if one of us has forgotten just about all we learned in high school. Only ten cents to go up in the aeroplane, Kiddies!” is what I heard at the amusement park this afternoon. Wishing I was a child again, I watched the kiddies pile into little planes on the end of the cables Imagine my suprise to find that Mike Coad was the engineer of the device. He always was interested in planes, but I guess one at a time wasn’t enough for him. Some Fun! The circus is in town again! Was being pushed along with the crowd when I heard the usual cry of Peanuts and Popcorn”. I made my way over to the stand and found my old class mate Adam Wittek busily engaged in shoveling Page Eighteen

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 MODERN PHYSICS Today research is the most effective tool that man can wield in his unceasing effort to master his physical environment. Nineteenth-century physics supposed, in a certain sense, that it had reached finality, that is, it had a set of laws in conformity with which all phenomena must everywhere take place and hence it was unlikely that many new phenomena remained to be discovered. The falsity of this assumption can readily be perceived in view of the many experimental facts and principles being revealed by modern research, which is opening up entirely new modes of thought and casting adverse lights on some established physical laws. The most outstanding work of this kind has been in a field, the importance of which is probably not recognized by the majority of people; that of atomic physics. It is apparent that the seeming impracticability of knowledge of something that cannot be detected with our ordained senses, has tended to suppress our enthusiasm to get at the bottom of the thing called matter. However, it must be taken into consideration that putting value on only those new discoveries which are of a practical nature is not practical in itself because usually, practical discoveries and inventions follow as a result of discoveries in the theoretical field. Atoms are thought to be the tiniest bits of matter capable of existing alone. The usual concept of their structure is a group of electrons (negatively charged particles) whirling around a central nucleus composed of protons (positively charged particles) or groups of protons, as planets wheel about a central sun. All the possible ninety-two elements are made up of different combinations of equal numbers of electrons and protons and each element has its own number and grouping. The number of electrons about the nucleus determines what element a substance is. In chemical action only these electrons are affected. The nucleus consists mainly of protons which attract the electrons and prevent them from wheeling off into space. If it were possible to change the nucleus there would be a change in the number of electrons attracted to the nucleus and hence a change from one element to another. Two years ago some British physicists discovered a particle about the nucleus of the atom which was charged neither positively nor negatively and to designate its neutrality named it neutron. Since then there has been much experimenting with this new particle and at present one of the best ways of obtaining one of them is as follows. If deutons, nuclei of a recently discovered double weight hydrogen, are shot at the metal lithium, a shower of neutrons issues both from broken deutons and shattered lithium atoms. Dr. E. O. Lawrence and Dr. M. S. Livingston of the University of California have produced a neutron ray and it is said to be the most penetrating ray created in the laboratory. This is partially due to the fact that the neutrons, carrying no charge themselves, are not affected by the electrical charges about the atoms and do not stop until they make a direct hit. Then their mass, 1800 times that of an electron, bursts the atomic nuclei apart. The neutron ray has the peculiar property of penetrating heavy substances more easily than light ones. Hydrogen is almost an impassable barricade while they go through lead with comparative ease. Another particle was recently discovered about the atom which seemed to act similarly to the electron, but bore a positive charge and so was named positron. This along with the neutron has added mystery to our conception of matter and some of our scientists are beginning to wonder if we have gotten down to the fundamental unit. There is some doubt as to whether we can form correct conceptions of these infinitely small particles with our present physical laws. Early in this year the Joliets; daughter and son-in-law of the famous Madame Curie, announced an experiment, the results of which stirred scientists all over the world. Alpha particles, which are helium nuclei stripped of their external electrons, were shot at the element boron, resulting in the formation of a neutron and an unstable nitrogen atom. This atom in turn changed to a carbon atom with the release of a positron. In other words there was transmutation of an element, that is, change from one element to another. The long desired achievement of the alchemist, had been accomplished. In this process the unstable nitrogen atom disintegrates spontaneously just as radium does, only much more rapidly, and emits those rays and emanations which characterize radioactive substances. Since this discovery there have been others to confirm it and several other radioactive substances have also been produced artifically. These substances give off the same penetrating rays as radium and it is probable that they will replace radium because they are much cheaper to produce. The uses for radi- Page Seventeen

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peanuts and popcorn into bags and equally as many into his mouth, at the same time continually hollering Peanuts and Popcorn. Well Diary, I got the surprise of my life today. I was down at the practice field wasting some bullets when a car drove up. A young man and woman alighted. It looked like Judson Darrow, the champion sharp shooter. But the young lady Who was she, I asked a friend. His fiancee” was the reply, I’m sure I forgot to close my mouth for some time. I next asked what had caused such a drastic change in our woman hater. The explanation was that she’s different. She knows as much as Judson does about guns and bullets. She’s an excellent markswoman. From now on she’s his mark. Spent the afternoon in the wilderness. Just as I though the rough old road was about to end I discovered a queer looking place belonging to Bruce Crighton. He showed me around the building, explaining that this was his hospital for insects. He had just finished a major operation on the star flea of the flea circus. Now the flea had quite a temperature, and was demanding attention. He was impatient to be back at work on those wooden legs and artificial limbs for flies. During my taxi excursions, which take me almost everywhere, I chanced upon Virginia Wells, so, I simply had to hear what she was doing with herself. Said she was completely exhausted in her efforts to keep up with the latest Paris fashions (for she has turned to dress making as a last resort) but simply had to, as her social calendar called for such. She fears that she will regain her childish habits again because she is continually cutting up” and putting together various pieces and always ending up in stitches over them. Was rather perplexed for a moment when I encountered Bill Swanson to-day and was not able to recognize him (and who would have with his silk hat and cane!) Such a distinguished personage he’s become. The reason for this long absence he explained, not bluffed” for a wonder, was that he had been sojourning in England for a few months having a jolly” fine time, as he expressed it. Will, now resume his honorable position at the soda fountain in the cornor drug store, selling Good Humors”. Hadn’t heard from or seen Melvina Wells, so decided to drop in on her for a few minutes. She’s secluded herself in the wilds of Southbury, so as not to be disturbed so much by frequent telephone calls and numerous other engagements. Much to my surprise she said she really adored feeding chickens in spite of its being just a hen party” and in odd moments she found great delight submerging into the depths of her never-to-be-for-gotten chemistry, so as to keep up with this scientific age. Taxi business still seems to be thriving and through it I find myself becoming a pretty good listener (you know they say that’s an important part of one’s etiquette in attaining a position in the social world.’) Anyway, I was much honored in conveying Margery Butler to her destination, this morning, rather surprised she wasn’t walking (remember she always did at school, but I guess she had a method in her madness). Great to see her again, but somewhat astonished to learn that after years of hard work and high marks, she is now teaching kindergarten! Poor Girl! I guess that teaching little children to pile-up blocks is her only means of escape from this thinking world —and then she’ll probably die a nervous wreck. Abominable weather; haven’t bothered to go out, consequently have been absolutely at loss for news. However, chanced to meet an old friend today who imparted unsparingly the accumulated gossip as such it is generally called. They said Austen Bennett, W. H. S., lady-killer, decided to give dancing lessons to the Hollywood celebrities, but a record amount of bills for new shoes caused him to have a nervous breakdown and he’s now recuperating in the wilds of Africa, which is supposed to be a pretty good place. Among my numerous encounters today, I ran across Frank Mulvey, who I thought by this time was surely explaining to Einstein some of his own unfathomable theories in science. Well finding he’d learned all there was to learn along that line he turned his extraordinary talents toward the moving picture world. Seems he’s now competing with Clark Gable as the screen’s greatest lover, and as a past-time shows the other Hollywood celebrities his latest invention, a pair of roller skates, built according to the latest scientific theories. Have gotten sort of behind lately, in this affair; nothing very exciting’s happened—just talk as usual, Emily Klatka came speeding along on her newest acquisition, a bicycle built for two. So, of course, she stopped long enough to exchange a few words. She seemed much at home on her bicycle having in her younger days at W. H. S. been an ardent believer in asking some of the little friends” to give her a ride on theirs. She confided most secretly to me that her studying to become a nurse had proved most helpful especially to those who fell victims to her bicycle. Page Nineteen