  The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) archive of high-resolution
ultraviolet spectra of the eclipsing semi-detached binary star, Algol (Beta
Persei, HD 19356), taken from September 1978 to September 1989, is analyzed in
order to characterize the movement of gas within and from this system. Light
curves are constructed, using a total of 1647 continuum level measurements.
These results support the semidetached status of this interacting binary star.
Radial velocities, residual intensities, full width half maxima (FWHM), line
asymmetries, and equivalent widths of UV absorption lines for aluminum,
magnesium, iron, and silicon in a range of ionization states are determined and
analyzed. For selected epochs, we were able to isolate gas stream and
photospheric contributions by an examination of the differences between
spectral line shapes. We observed variations in line shape and strength, with
orbital phase and epoch, indicating the presence of stable gas streams and
circumstellar gas, and periods of increased mass-transfer activity associated
with transient gas streams. The 1989 data indicates moderate activity. This
epoch was examined most closely since it provides the greatest phase coverage.
Spectral line profiles in 1978 and 1984 have the strongest gas-flow absorption
components, indicating that these are the epochs of the greatest activity. The
dense phase coverage in September 1989 allows us to measure the mass loss rate
from Algol B into Algol A which is of order ~10E-14 solar masses per year.
Since the highest gas-flow velocities are in the 100 kilometer per second
range, well below escape velocity, we conclude that systemic mass loss due to
gas flow is small for the Algol system.
