8342 The Philippine Journal of Science 1921 
Bes 2 
is a somewhat detailed extension of the “non-relativists’” ar- 
guments upon this subject. 
The fundamental fallacy of the relativists seems to be due to 
the fact that the Relativity Principle happened to be discovered 
by certain experiments on the velocity of light. Now the Rela- 
tivity Principle states that it is impossible to detect by the meas- 
urement of ‘any physical quantity our absolute motion through 
space. Therefore, all physical quantities are apparently un- 
affected by our absolute motion through space. If a single 
exception to this rule should ever be found, the Relativity 
Principle would lose forever its physical significance. 
From the standpoint of present-day knowledge there is ab- 
solutely no reason to consider that the velocity of light is in any 
way more dependent upon an electromagnetic medium (the ether) 
than are any of the physical quantities ‘usually considered the 
properties of matter, with the possible exception of gravitation. 
It is universally conceded that part, if not all, of the mass of 
matter is electromagnetic in origin and behavior, and that part, 
if not all, of the forces of chemical union, cohesion, and elastic- 
ity are of this same nature. Certainly the apparent mass of a 
rapidly moving electron varies enormously with its speed 
through the electromagnetic medium, if we-measure it when the 
electron is moving relative to us; and, if the force between two 
electric charges were not subject to the same variation, we 
would not teach in our schools that magnetism is the effect 
of electricity in motion. The Relativity Principle states that 
all of these quantities, though apparently variable if we do not | 
move along with the object in question, are apparently constant, 
as far as the motion of the object is concerned, if we do move 
along with it. . 
Our problem, therefore, is as follows: 
It being given that the following quantities are not affected 
by the motion of the earth through space. 
1. The apparent velocity of light in our vicinity, from what-. 
ever source; 
2. The apparent mass of an electron in our vicinity, from 
whatever source; 
3. The apparent mass of a positive nuclueus ; 
_ 4, The apparent charge of an electron; 
5. The apparent density of water (under definite pressuré 
and temperature) ; 
