some hours after removal is also a result of the excited activity produced by the emanation on the walls of the containing vessel. Disregarding for the moment these rapid initial changes in heat emission, it is seen that the heating effect of the emanation and its further products, after reaching a maximum, decreases at the same rate as that at which the emanation loses its activity, that is, it falls to half value in four days. If Qmax. is the maximum heating effect and Qt the heating effect at any time t later, then
where λ is the constant of change of the emanation.
The curve of recovery of the heating effect of radium from its minimum value is identical with the curve of recovery of its activity measured by the α rays. Since the minimum heating effect is 25 per cent. of the total, the heat emission Qt at any time t after reaching a minimum is given by