92 Can Science Explain Life? 



will be the same as that of any other ring. If we 

 assume that the proton is smaller than the elec- 

 tron, then any particular pair of rings which by 

 itself would form a proton would tend to increase 

 in diameter, whereas any particular pair which by 

 itself would form an electron would tend to de- 

 crease in diameter. The final diameter should 

 therefore be somewhere between that of a free 

 proton and that of a free electron. This is ex- 

 actly what has been established experimentally, 

 since it has been found that the hydrogen atom, 

 which contains only one proton, has an atomic 

 weight of 1.008 whereas the helium atom, which 

 contains four protons, has an atomic weight of 

 just 4.00 and not 4.032. 



The electrostatic attraction between unlike 

 charges and the repulsion between like charges 

 is probably due to the fact that at considerable 

 distances the equatorial flux dominates over the 

 polar flux so that the charge as a whole will estab- 

 lish either a divergence or a convergence, depend- 

 ing on whether it is a proton or an electron. If 

 both charges are of the same sign, then the lines 

 of force in the regions between them will be op- 

 positely directed so as to cause repulsion; but as 

 the two charges are brought more closely together 

 the region of repulsion will become smaller so 

 that the force of repulsion will gradually disap- 

 pear and leave the two charges firmly united in 



