Aether and Gravitation

by William George Hooper

Art. 34. Kinds of Atoms.--Various forms of atoms have been conceived by philosophers from time to time, ranging from the Hard Atom, and the simple point-centres of Boscovitch, until we come to the more modern Vortex Atom of Lord Kelvin, or the Strain Atom of Dr. Larmor, which will be looked at separately. Democritus conceived a hard atom as long ago as 500 B.C., while the notion of a hard atom is not absent from the works of Newton himself. We find that Newton suggested that the particles of air might be hard spherical bodies, at a distance from one another of about nine times their diameter.

The hard atom, however, seems to be refuted by spectroscopic analysis, which reveals to us in a manner that has never been revealed before, something of the sizes and vibrations of atoms.

From the phenomenon of heat, which is simply matter in motion, we feel compelled to accept the fact that an atom is not a hard particle, but that it is something which is more closely allied to the Vortex Atom, or the Strain Atom of Dr. Larmor.

Boscovitch Atom.--According to Boscovitch's theory, each atom is simply an indivisible point in space capable of motion, and possessing a certain mass whereby a certain amount of energy is required to produce a certain change of motion. In addition to this, any two atoms could attract or repel each other with a force depending upon their distance apart. The Law which regulates these forces for all distances greater than 1/1000 of an inch is an attraction varying inversely as the square of the distance, and a repulsion for less distances.

We have, therefore, to suppose that in place of the hard atom, there is merely a geometrical point which can exert attractive or repulsive forces to, or from, the central point. So far as external particles are concerned, they would behave just the same as a hard atom would do. This conception was largely entertained in recent times by Faraday. It is more a mathematical explanation than a physical one, but has been found convenient in explaining what takes place in the interior of bodies in their three states, namely: solid, liquid, and gaseous.

Lord Kelvin's Vortex Atom.--Another hypothesis which has been suggested for the constitution of an atom, is that known as the Vortex Atom, which received its birth at the hands of Lord Kelvin. The underlying principle of this Vortex Atom is, that matter may be entirely due to the rotating parts of a fundamental medium, the Aether, which fills all space.

The properties of vortex motion were first mathematically calculated by Helmholtz, but it was left to Sir Wm. Thompson, now Lord Kelvin, to give a physical idea of the Vortex Atom.

Before entering further into the question of the Vortex Atom, it may be as well to explain how vortex smoke rings may be made.

All that is required is a wooden box, about one cubic foot in size, with a round hole perforated in one of the sides, and the opposite side covered with a piece of linen in place of the wooden side. The bottom of the box should then be covered with some strong solution of ammonia, and some hydrochloric acid poured into a saucer and put into the box. The combination of these two will cause thick clouds to form in the box, and if the linen is sharply tapped by the hand, a ring of this cloud will be forced through the hole on the opposite side of the box. The ring so formed will be circular in shape, and will go sailing through the room in which it is made.