490 Mr. Laming on the primary Forces of Electricity. 



tity of plus electricity being constant, its attractive force mil 

 vary as the square of the distance inversely, 



8. All things remaining as before, let the quantity of plus 

 electricity in A be doubled ; then its action on B at either of 

 the distances c d ef will also be doubled, A second quantity 

 of electricity in B held with three times the force of the first 

 quantity (6.) will accordingly be dismissed from connection 

 with its common matter ; and the latter in consequence be 

 attracted by A with a force equal to the sum of these two 

 forces, that is 1 +3 = 4. 



By the same action a third quantity in A will liberate a 

 third quantity from B held with five units of force, and thus 

 attract B with an intensity compounded of the three several 

 forces 1 + 3 + 5 = 9; a fourth quantity in A will attract B, 

 with a force = 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16; and soon; or, in other 

 words, the distance being constant, the attraction will vary as 

 the square of the quantities directly. 



9. We thus arrive at two theorems, the latter of which has 

 been hitherto an inexplicable anomaly. Philosophy demands 

 that every effect should be, under the same circumstances, 

 exactly proportionate to its cause; but in this case, without 

 any change of circumstances appearing, a two-fold influence 

 was observed to produce a quadrupled effect ; a treble amount 

 of causation nine times the amount of effect, and thus onward, 

 the effect continually increasing as the square of the quan- 

 tities. An explanation of this fact has never, so far as I am 

 aware, been attempted ; it has excited the surprise of one of 

 the most acute electricians of the present day, who supposes 

 a portion of the electrical force to be " masked by the opera- 

 tion of some peculiar influence;" but the remark furnishes no 

 elucidation. 



10. By compounding the preceding theoretical ratios we 

 obtain a third theorem, equally important and induced from 

 facts as the other two ; namely, the attraction being a constant 



force, the distances vary as the quantities of electricity directly. 

 If a table be drawn up in the following manner, the total 

 force of any number of quantities for any given distance may 

 be arrived at by the addition of a corresponding number of 

 elementary forces in the appropriate column. 



