CHAPTER X. The Ether and Matter

THE ETHER AND MATTER

§ 1. The Relations between the Ether and Matter: Attempts to reduce all matter to forms of ether--Emission and absorption phenomena show reciprocal action-- Laws of radiation--Radiation of gases--Production of spectrum--Differences between light and sound variations show difference of media--Cauchy's, Briot's, Carvallo's and Boussinesq's researches--Helmholtz's and Poincaré's electromagnetic theories of dispersion.

§ 2. The Theory of Lorentz:--Mechanics fails to explain relations between ether and matter--Lorentz predicts action of magnet on spectrum--Zeeman's experiment --Later researches upon Zeeman effect-- Multiplicity of electrons--Lorentz's explanation of thermoelectric phenomena by electrons--Maxwell's and Lorentz's theories do not agree--Lorentz's probably more correct--Earth's movement in relation to ether.

§ 3. The Mass of Electrons: Thomson's and Max Abraham's view that inertia of charged body due to charge--Longitudinal and transversal mass--Speed of electrons cannot exceed that of light--Ratio of charge to mass and its variation--Electron simple electric charge--Phenomena produced by its acceleration.

§ 4. New Views on Ether and Matter: Insufficiency of Larmor's view--Ether definable by electric and magnetic fields--Is matter all electrons? Atom probably positive centre surrounded by negative electrons--Ignorance concerning positive particles--Successive transformations of matter probable --Gravitation still unaccounted for.