* * * * *
Density, or closeness, is another quality of the atmosphere. It has
been found to be 770 times less than that of water, and 770 cubic
inches of air weigh as much as a cubic inch of water. It is in direct
ratio with its elasticity, and there are tables by which it may be
determined at different altitudes. At the surface of the earth, this
density is indicated as 1; at 2-1/2 miles, as 1/2; at 5 miles, as 1/4;
and so on, the difference being in a geometrical progression.
As we proceed in the consideration of our general subject, we shall
find, under the appropriate heads, that density is not without
material influence on reflection and refraction, on transparency and
the transmission of light, the presence or absence of moisture, and
the amount of heat at the earth's surface,--and we might add, on
health, and the increase or diminution of the vital energies.
* * * * *
Temperature is another branch of our subject, and one involving a
series of subordinate topics on which volumes have been written, and
to which are still devoted the labors of the most learned men of our
day.
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