Excerpt from Lessons in Elementary Practical Physics, Vol. 1 The work of which this is the first volume took its origin in the felt necessity for systematising the work in our physical laboratory. We first of all commenced by using short manuscript accounts of the various processes and instruments for the use of our students. This, although satisfactory as far as it went, was found insufficient, and had to be supplemented by references to books not always accessible. Learning from various quarters the desirability of a simple yet systematic treatise on physical instruments, we were at length induced to undertake the task ourselves. It was first, proposed to publish the whole in one volume, but as the matter grew under our hands it was suggested to us by Professor Sir Henry Roscoe that it might be advantageously published in three volumes. This arrangement will, we imagine, be convenient for students who wish to cultivate some particular branch of physical inquiry. The present volume will, we hope, be followed in due course by one on "Electricity and Magnetism;" and our work will be rendered complete by a third on "Heat, Light, and Sound." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.