Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Download Macroeconomics Principles and Policy 12th Edition Baumol Test Bank all chapters
Download Macroeconomics Principles and Policy 12th Edition Baumol Test Bank all chapters
https://testbankfan.com/product/macroeconomics-principles-and-
policy-13th-edition-baumol-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/microeconomics-principles-and-
policy-12th-edition-baumol-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-principles-and-
policy-12th-edition-baumol-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/macroeconomics-principles-and-
policy-13th-edition-baumol-solutions-manual/
Microeconomics Principles and Policy 13th Edition
Baumol Test Bank
https://testbankfan.com/product/microeconomics-principles-and-
policy-13th-edition-baumol-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-principles-and-
policy-13th-edition-baumol-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/microeconomics-principles-and-
policy-13th-edition-baumol-solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-principles-and-
policy-13th-edition-baumol-solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/principles-of-
macroeconomics-12th-edition-case-test-bank/
Chapter 7—Economic Growth: Theory and Policy
TRUE/FALSE
1. College tuition costs have risen faster than prices in general from 1979 to 2009.
2. Service sector outputs could be expected to increase in price less than industrial sector outputs as an
economy grows.
3. For a given technology, a higher capital stock will decrease labor productivity.
6. Improvements in the level of technology will generally shift the production function downward.
7. A superior level of technology is an important reason the productivity of workers in rich countries is
high.
8. Human capital includes the tools and equipment that human beings work with.
269
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
10. Productivity levels are higher in rich countries compared to poor countries.
11. Productivity growth rates are usually higher in rich countries than in poor countries.
12. The convergence hypothesis suggests that poor countries may close the income gap with rich countries.
13. Imitation is not only the highest form of flattery but also an easier way for poorer countries to develop
new technology.
14. The poorest countries in Africa have some of the highest growth rates, thus proving the convergence
hypothesis.
15. A nation's capital consists mainly of stocks, bonds, and other financial assets.
16. The term "capital formation" actually implies adding new equipment to a nation's factories.
17. As the level of real interest rates rise, the amount of new investment will rise also.
270
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
18. Capital investment becomes more profitable for a business firm as the real interest rate decreases.
19. When the economy devotes more of its resources to investment goods, it must devote fewer resources to
consumer goods.
20. Some politicians argue that reducing the corporate income tax will increase business investment
spending.
21. By enjoying more consumer goods today, the economy spurs growth in future consumer goods.
22. In 2010 President Obama proposed more generous tax write-offs for businesses that invest in additional
equipment in order to stimulate investment spending.
23. The slowing of the American economy in 2008-2009 gave businesses a strong incentive to raise capital
investment.
24. The capital gains tax cut enacted in 2003 will hinder capital formation.
25. The threat of confiscated private property diminishes the incentive to invest.
26. In the United States, the wage rates for high school graduates are growing faster than the wage rates for
college graduates.
271
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Improving Education And Training
27. The wage premium in the United States for college graduates over high school graduates has remained
constant from 1978 to 2000.
28. All other things being equal, a greater supply of scientists and engineers will increase the level of
technology.
29. Because the Soviet Union educated more scientists and engineers than the United States, their level of
economic growth was higher.
30. Investment spending, capital formation, and rapid technological progress are directly related.
31. Because it is a market economy, in the United States all research and development is done by private
business firms.
32. Productivity growth rates in the United States have remained fairly constant from 1948 to 2000.
33. Economists are still puzzled why growth rates in the United States fell from 1973 to 1995.
34. There is now general agreement among economists regarding the sources of the U.S. productivity
slowdown that occurred between 1973 and 1995.
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: The Productivity Slowdown and Speed-Up in The United States
35. The change in the contribution of capital formation was the chief cause of the productivity slowdown in
1973-1995.
36. Technological change was a major contributor to the productivity speed-up from 1995-2000.
37. Improvements in human capital and education played a major role in the productivity improvements of
the U.S. economy from 1995 to 2009.
38. Real wages usually lag behind the increases in labor productivity.
39. The fastest growing productivity increases in the United States have occurred in the personal services
sector.
40. The prices of telecommunications services have decreased due to productivity increases.
41. The "cost disease of personal services" phenomenon helps explain why medical care has become so
expensive.
273
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
42. The "cost disease of personal services" phenomenon predicts that the price of tickets to baseball games
and cell phone rates will increase at approximately the same rate.
44. Foreign direct investment generally leads to technological advancements in poorer countries.
45. Industrialized countries generally have higher levels of educational attainment compared with poorer
countries.
46. The productivity slowdown in the U.S. can be explained by geographic limitations and instability in the
government.
47. Poor health in developing countries encourages economic growth because working is a matter of life and
death.
48. When the difference between potential GDP and actual GDP increases, the nation usually suffers from
increased inflation.
49. The fall of actual GDP below the level of potential GDP is a signal that the economy is in a recession.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
274
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
1. Which of the following services have experienced declines in relative prices due to productivity
increases?
a. medical services
b. restaurant meals
c. theatrical performances
d. Internet access services
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
3. The graph that relates hours of labor input to output is called the
a. consumption function.
b. conjunction function.
c. capital function.
d. production function.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
8. Which of the following would tend to shift the production function upward?
a. an increase in the number of hours worked
b. an increase in population
c. an increase in the size of the labor force
d. an increase in the level of technology
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
10. Which furniture production process would have the highest production function?
a. furniture made by handsaw and hammer
b. furniture made with power equipment
c. furniture made by grade school-educated workers
d. furniture made in an automated furniture factory
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
11. Which furniture production process would have the highest furniture prices?
a. furniture made by handsaw and hammer
b. furniture made with power equipment
c. furniture made by grade school-educated workers
d. furniture made in an automated furniture factory
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
12. Which furniture production process would have the highest wage rates?
a. furniture made by handsaw and hammer
276
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
b. furniture made with power equipment
c. furniture made by grade school-educated workers
d. furniture made in an automated furniture factory
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
13. Which retail operation would have the highest costs per book sold?
a. a small independent bookstore
b. a large retail bookstore chain
c. an Internet seller of books
d. All would have the same costs.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
14. Which retail operation would have the lowest costs per book sold?
a. a small independent bookstore
b. a large retail bookstore chain
c. an Internet seller of books
d. All would have the same costs.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Reflective
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
17. For given inputs of labor and capital, if technology is better, labor productivity will be
a. higher.
b. lower.
c. unchanged.
d. characterized by increasing returns to scale.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Labor markets TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
277
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
18. For a given technology and a given labor force, labor productivity will be ____ when the capital stock is
____.
a. higher; larger
b. lower; larger
c. lower; unchanged.
d. higher; smaller
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Labor markets TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
19. For given inputs of labor and capital, if technology is more primitive, labor productivity will be
a. higher.
b. lower.
c. unchanged.
d. characterized by increasing returns to scale.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Labor markets TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
d. all of the above.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Labor markets TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
25. One of the key factors in the economic success of South Korea was
a. an increase in years of schooling.
b. a reduction in the amount of imports.
c. the creation of new technology.
d. all of the above.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Labor markets TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
26. Which of the following was NOT a factor in Japan's post-World War II economic success?
a. a high rate of investment
b. a well-educated workforce
c. a high rate of natural resource discovery
d. a high rate of technological adoption
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
27. Which of the following is not one of the three pillars of productivity growth?
a. rate of capacity utilization
b. rate of technological improvement
c. rate of improvement in workforce quality
d. rate of capital expansion
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
28. Which of the following countries has the lowest level of average educational attainment?
a. Canada
b. Italy
c. India
d. Sudan
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
29. Which of the following countries has the highest level of average educational attainment?
279
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
a. Canada
b. Italy
c. India
d. Sudan
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
30. Which of the following countries would have the most difficulty raising its level of average educational
attainment?
a. Canada
b. Italy
c. India
d. Sudan
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
31. The lessons of the Japanese recovery were most successfully repeated by
a. the Soviet Union.
b. Argentina and Brazil.
c. Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
d. Bulgaria and Romania.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: The Three Pillars Of Productivity Growth
34. In 2009, which country had the highest level of GDP per hour of work?
a. Spain
b. the United Kingdom
c. France
280
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
d. Japan
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
35. From 1979, which country had the highest growth rate of GDP per hour of work?
a. Singapore
b. United Kingdom
c. France
d. Japan
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
36. From 1979, which country had the lowest growth rate of GDP per hour of work?
a. Singapore
b. United States
c. France
d. Japan
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
37. In general, countries with lower rates of growth of labor productivity have
a. lower levels of productivity.
b. higher levels of productivity.
c. lower levels of educational attainment.
d. higher levels of natural resource endowments.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Labor markets
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
39. Which of the following countries would find it easiest to achieve rapid growth in per capita GDP?
a. United States
b. United Kingdom
c. France
d. Mexico
281
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
40. In general, as productivity levels increase, the potential for productivity growth
a. decreases.
b. increases.
c. remains the same.
d. increases if GDP increases.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
41. In general, as productivity levels decrease, the potential for productivity growth
a. decreases.
b. increases.
c. remains the same.
d. decreases if GDP decreases.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
43. The productivity growth rates of poorer countries tend to be ____ than those of richer countries.
a. higher
b. lower
c. increasing slower
d. decreasing faster
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
44. The productivity growth rates of richer countries tend to be ____ than those of poorer countries.
a. higher
b. lower
c. increasing faster
d. decreasing faster
282
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
45. The shrinking gap between the income levels of poor and rich countries is known as the
a. conservative hypothesis.
b. divergence hypothesis.
c. convergence hypothesis.
d. confluent hypothesis.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
46. Identify the main reason to expect convergence in the long run.
a. Low-productivity countries learning from high-productivity countries
b. Rapid growth in the supply of capital in low-productivity countries
c. Educational attainment rising quickly in low-productivity countries
d. Economic complacency and mismanagement in high-productivity countries
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
47. One of the factors causing the shrinking gap between rich and poor countries is
a. learning by poor countries.
b. increasing resource discoveries.
c. increasing populations in poor countries.
d. transfers of income from rich countries.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
49. Imitation as a strategy for acquiring new technology is based on the difference in effort between
a. creating it and thinking of it.
b. creating it and looking it up.
c. looking it up and writing it down.
d. discovering it and innovating it.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
283
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
50. On a graph with time on the horizontal axis and real GDP per capita on the vertical axis, the income
levels of poorer countries are
a. diverging more from the incomes of rich countries.
b. maintaining a constant gap with the incomes of richer countries.
c. crossing the line representing richer countries.
d. coming closer to the line representing richer countries.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Reflective
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
52. In order to improve living standards for future generations, the economy must
a. sacrifice consumer goods today.
b. reduce its investment goods.
c. increase government spending.
d. reduce growth in the population.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
53. Given the economy's existing resources and technology, the only way to enjoy more consumer goods
today is to
a. devote more resources to investment goods today.
b. accumulate more capital today.
c. have a slower economic growth rate in the future.
d. devote more resources to consumer goods in the future.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth
TOP: Levels, Growth Rates, and The Convergence Hypothesis
284
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
56. Capital is a(n) ____ variable and investment is a(n) ____ variable.
a. physical, financial
b. stock, flow
c. asset, liability
d. flow, stock
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
59. Most of the investment decisions in the U.S. economy are made by
a. consumers.
b. businesses.
c. governmental institutions.
d. international financial agencies.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
c. borrowing.
d. tax reductions.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
62. Devoting more of a country's resources for producing consumer goods means
a. economy is using it resources for future production.
b. fewer resources to producing investment goods.
c. country will grow more rapidly in the future.
d. productivity of the invested capital is extremely high.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
286
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
66. Because business firms often finance new investments with borrowed money, a key determinant of
investment spending is
a. tax rates.
b. the price level.
c. the rate of inflation.
d. the real interest rate.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
67. The profit earned from selling an asset for more than you paid for it is called
a. capital gains.
b. the real interest rate.
c. depreciation.
d. appreciation.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
68. Capital gains are profits that you earn on the sale of your
a. labor.
b. money.
c. financial asset.
d. economics textbook.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
72. During the mid to late 1990s, the incentives for investment spending were provided by rising
a. aggregate demand.
b. real interest rates.
c. levels of corporate taxes.
d. levels of capital gains taxes.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
73. High levels of sales that spur high levels of investment spending is an example of a
a. vicious circle.
b. virtuous circle.
c. convergence circle.
d. divergence circle.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
74. Low levels of sales that cause low levels of investment spending is an example of a
a. vicious circle.
b. virtuous circle.
c. convergence circle.
d. divergence circle.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
75. Laws that assign owners the rights to use assets as they see fit are called
a. human rights.
b. economic rights.
c. property rights.
d. government rights.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy NAT: Analytic
LOC: Productivity and growth TOP: Growth Policy: Encouraging Capital Formation
288
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
planet itself, in proportion to the quantity of matter in each; and the
planets attract one another just as much as they attract the sun,
according to the quantity of matter.
“M. Le Verrier has mentioned for the new planet the name
Neptunus; and probably, deference to his authority as its discoverer,
will obtain general currency for this name.”
In truth, at the moment when this was uttered, the new Planet had
already been seen by Professor Challis; for, as we have said, he had
seen it in the early part of August. He had included it in the net which
he had cast among the stars for this very purpose; but employing a
slow and cautious process, he had deferred for a time that
examination of his capture which would have enabled him to detect
the object sought. As soon as he received M. Le Verrier’s paper of
August 31 on September 29, he was so much impressed with the
sagacity and clearness of the limitations of the field of observation
there laid down, that he instantly changed his plan of observation,
and noted the planet, as an object having a visible disk, on the
evening of the same day.
Not only did this law stimulate the inquiries for the Missing Planet,
and thus lead to the discovery of the Minor Planets, but it had also a
share in the discovery of Neptune. According to the law, a planet
beyond Uranus may be expected to be at the distance represented
by 388. Mr. Adams and M. Le Verrier both of them began by
assuming a distance of nearly this magnitude for the Planet which
they sought; that is, a distance more than 38 times the earth’s
distance. It was found afterwards that the distance of Neptune is only
30 times that of the earth; yet the assumption was of essential use in
obtaining the result and Mr. Airy remarks that the history of the
discovery shows the importance of using any received theory as far
as it will go, even if the theory can claim no higher merit than that of
being plausible. 51
51 Account of the Discovery of Neptune, &c., Mem. Ast. Soc., vol.
xvi. p. 414.
The rapidity with which these discoveries were made was owing in
part to the formation of star-maps, in which all known fixed stars
being represented, the existence of a new and movable star might
be recognized by comparison of the sky with the map. These maps
were first constructed by astronomers of different countries at the
suggestion of the Academy of Berlin; but they have since been
greatly extended, and now include much smaller stars than were
originally laid down.
I will mention the number of planets discovered in each year. After
the start was once made, by Hencke’s discovery of Astræa in 1845,
the same astronomer discovered Hebe in 1847; and in the same
year Mr. Hind, of London, discovered two others, Iris and Flora. The
years 1848 and 1849 each supplied one; the year 1850, three; 1851,
two; 1852 was marked by the extraordinary discovery of eight new
members of the planetary system. The year 1853 supplied four;
1854, six; 1855, four; and 1856 has already given us five. 560
I may add that it appears to follow from the best calculations that
the total mass of all these bodies is very small. Herschel reckoned
the diameters of Ceres at 35, and of Pallas at 26 miles. It has since
been calculated 53 that some of them are smaller still; Victoria having
a diameter of 9 miles, Lutetia of 8, and Atalanta of little more than 4.
It follows from this that the whole mass would probably be less than
the sixth part of our moon. Hence their perturbing effects on each
other or on other planets are null; but they are not the less disturbed
by the action of the other planets, and especially of Jupiter.
53 Bruhns, as above.
Tides.
The Tides of the Coast of Ireland have been examined with great
care by Mr. Airy. Numerous and careful observations were made with
a view, in the first instance, of determining what was to be regarded
as “the Level of the Sea;” but the results were discussed so as to
bring into view the laws and progress, on the Irish coast, of the
various inequalities of the Tides mentioned in Chap. iv. Sect. 9 of this
Book.