6 BAUER: ORIGIN OF THE EARTH's MAGNETIC FIELD 



It is found that in order to accord with the most obvious fact 

 ^that the north-seeking end of the magnetic needle dips in 

 the Northern Hemisphere — the negative elemental charges within 

 the Earth must, on the average, he the farther away from the Earth's 

 center, i.e., be distributed thru a slightly larger sphere than the 

 one supposed to contain the positive charges. For the portion 

 of the Earth's magnetic jfield supposed to arise from the rotation 

 with the Earth of the electric charges in the atmosphere, the 

 chief fact of observation is that the north-seeking end of the 

 magnetic needle points above the horizon in the Northern Hem- 

 isphere. To comply with this fact, it is found that, on the average, 

 the negative elemental charges in the atmosphere must also be the 

 farther away from the Earth's center than are the positive ones. 



That the same kind of electric distribution suffices to produce 

 both the Earth's internal and external magnetic systems is con- 

 sidered one of the chief gains. Theories, heretofore, have either 

 stopped with a consideration of the internal system alone or 

 have involved contrary or independent hypotheses for both sys- 

 tems. Thus, if the systems are referred to electric currents for 

 the internal system, then the currents would have to pass around 

 the Earth from east to west, hence contrary to the Earth's rota- 

 tion, whereas, for the external system, they would have to go 

 from west to east, hence in the same direction as that of rotation. 



Taking the average atomic weight of the Earth's substance, 

 in round numbers as 50, it is found that, if the radii of the two 

 spheres supposed initially to contain the opposite and equal body 

 charges of the Earth differ by only 0.4 X 10~^ cm., i.e., by about 

 four-tenths of the radius of an ordinary molecule, a magnetic 

 field of the required strength results in the manner supposed.^ 

 The corresponding quantity for the effects ascribed in this paper 

 to the supposed action of the Earth's centrifugal force is on the 

 order of 0.01 X 10~^ cm. The present adalysis resolves the so- 

 called Gaussian constants, generally regarded as the elements or 

 ultimate constants of the Earth's magnetic field, into physically 

 interpretable constituents. 



^ The energy necessary to remove a negative electron from an atom indicates 

 that the positive and negative charges are about 10~^ cm. apart in the atom and 

 that the molecules may be regarded as having a definite volume of radius of about 

 10-8 cm. H. A. Wilson: Structure of Atoms, Science, N. S. 35: 511, 1912. 



