Precession and Nutation—Their Effects on the Apparent Places of the Fixed Stars
Mean and Apparent Sidereal Time—Mean and Apparent Solar Time—Equation of Time—English and French Subdivisions of Time—Leap Year—Christian Era—Equinoctial Time—Remarkable Eras depending upon the Position of the Solar Perigee—Inequality of the Lengths of the Seasons in the two Hemispheres—Application of Astronomy to Chronology—English and French Standards of Weights and Measures
Tides—Forces that produce them—Origin and Course of Tidal Wave—Its Speed—Three kinds of Oscillations in the Ocean—The Semidiurnal Tides—Equinoctial Tides—Effects of the Declination of the Sun and Moon—Theory insufficient without Observation—Direction of the Tidal Wave—Height of Tides—Mass of Moon obtained from her Action on the Tides—Interference of Undulations—Impossibility of a Universal Inundation—Currents
Molecular Forces—Permanency of the ultimate Particles of Matter—Interstices—Mossotti’s Theory—Rankin’s Theory of Molecular Vortices—Gases reduced to Liquids by Pressure—Gravitation of Particles—Cohesion—Crystallization—Cleavage—Isomorphism—Minuteness of the Particles—Height of Atmosphere—Chemical Affinity—Definite Proportions and Relative Weights of Atoms—Faraday’s Discovery with regard to Affinity—Capillary Attraction
Analysis of the Atmosphere—Its pressure—Law of Decrease in Density—Law of Decrease in Temperature—Measurement of Heights by the Barometer—Extent of the Atmosphere—Barometrical Variations—Oscillations—Trade-Winds—Cloud-Ring—Monsoons—Rotation of Winds—Laws of Hurricanes
Sound—Propagation of Sound illustrated by a Field of Standing Corn—Nature of Waves—Propagation of Sound through the Atmosphere—Intensity—Noises—A Musical Sound—Quality—Pitch—Extent of Human Hearing—Velocity of Sound in Air, Water, and Solids—Causes of the Obstruction of Sound—Law of its Intensity—Reflection of Sound—Echoes—Thunder—Refraction of Sound—Interference of Sounds
Vibration of Musical Strings—Harmonic Sounds—Nodes—Vibration of Air in Wind-Instruments—Vibration of Solids—Vibrating Plates—Bells—Harmony—Sounding Boards—Forced Vibrations—Resonance—Speaking Machines
Refraction—Astronomical Refraction and its Laws—Formation of Tables of Refraction—Terrestrial Refraction—Its Quantity—Instances of Extraordinary Refraction—Reflection—Instances of Extraordinary Reflection—Loss of Light by the Absorbing Power of the Atmosphere—Apparent Magnitude of Sun and Moon in the Horizon