The following note presents in a simpler form the essence of Dr Sven Odén's mathematical discussion of the fall of small particles through a column of liquid, as given in his paper (immediately preceding) “On the Size of Particles in Deep-sea Deposits.”

It has the further advantage of solving the problem without taking account explicitly or implicitly of Stokes's law (or modification thereof) as to the relation connecting the time of fall with the size, form, and density of the particles considered. It is important, I think, to refrain as long as possible from making the assumptions involved in such a law of fall, and to recognise how far we may carry the investigation before introducing these assumptions.