48 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



cubic meter of platinum is in truth an empty space, with the exception 

 of, at the outside, one cubic millimeter occupied by the actual matter 

 of the dynamides. 



If we can thus reasonably and mathematically eliminate the matter 

 of a cubic meter of one of our densest metals to such an extent, it 

 should not be very difficult to make one more effort and eliminate that 

 insignificant little cubic millimeter still remaining, and say, with 

 cogent reasons behind us for the statement, that there is no matter at 

 all, but simply energy in motion. This is exactly what has been done 

 by many who occupy high and authoritative positions in the scien- 

 tific world. 



Long before experimental evidence of the existence of corpuscles 

 had been obtained, it was demonstrated that an electrically charged 

 body, moving with high velocity, had an apparent mass greater than its 

 true mass, because of the electrical charge. The faster it moved the 

 greater became its apparent mass or, what comes to the same thing, 

 assuming the electrical charge to remain unaltered, the greater the 

 velocity the less the mass of the body carrying the charge needed to be 

 to have always the same apparent mass. It was calculated that when 

 the velocity equaled that of light, it was not necessary to assume that 

 the body carrying the charge had any mass at all ! In other words, 

 the bit of electric charge moving with the velocity of light would have 

 weight and all the properties of mass. 



This might be looked upon as an interesting mathematical abstrac- 

 tion, but without any practical application, if it were not for the fact 

 that Kaufmann 8 determined the apparent masses of corpuscles shot 

 out from a radium preparation at different velocities, and compared 

 them with the masses calculated on the basis that the whole of the 

 mass was due to the electric charge. The agreement between the ob- 

 served and calculated values is so close that it leads Thomson to say: 

 " These results support the view that the ivlwlc mass of these electrified 

 particles arises from their charge." 9 



Then the corpuscles are to be looked upon as nothing but bits of 

 electric charge, not attached to matter at all, just bits of electric charge, 

 nothing more nor less. It is this view which has led to the introduction 

 of the term electron, first proposed by Stoney, to indicate in the name 

 itself the immaterial nature of these ultimates of our present knowl- 

 edge. We have but to concede the logical sequence of this reasoning, 

 all based on experimental evidence, and the last stronghold of the 

 materialists is carried, and we have a universe of energy in which 

 matter has no necessary part. 



If we accept the electron theory, our atoms are to be considered 



s Phys. Zeitschr., 1902, p. 54. 

 1 ' Electricity and Matter,' p. 48. 



