Discussion [of Pedersen's paper]

The original article gave a bibliography of oscillating arc investigations with coupled circuits is given. A special form of circuit, wherein the arc and the antenna circuit are coupled electrostatically thru an arc "series condenser,' and a "shunt condenser," is studied analytically. Experimental results on the same circuit are given, and the practical usefulness of the circuit discussed. It would have been very helpful if the observations had tcen made with tuned fields, as arc performance data rarely pcrmit of quantitative comparison if they are taken with untuned f.elds. A great amount of experimental work has had its value very seriously reduced by failure to appreciate this fact. The discussor agrees with the conclusion that circuits such as these are hardly worth while, but this is because of our present knowledge of tuned fields and the other factors effecting arc performance which enable us to accomplish the same desirable results in better ways and without fostering the harmonics mentioned by Professor Pedersen.