WEBSTER. — PROPERTIES OF THE ETHEH. 527 



Stronger if the pulsations arc more rapid, so that tlie Doppier effect 

 is introchiced if the charge is moving. But with the model it is 

 obvious that any such interpretation is unnecessary; for the imj)or- 

 tant quantity is not the actual charge of the electron, but the volume 

 of the ether in which there was a spreading of the net at such a time 

 as to affect the point in ciuestioii at the time in ((ucstion. 



Summary. 



Because of the apparently absolute nature of acceleration, as well 

 as for other reasons, we find it necessary to assume the existence of 

 the ether, and therefore desirable to learn as much as possible of its 

 properties. To do this, we first reduce the laws of all its phenomena, 

 including gravitation and the relativity-principle, to five erjuations, 

 and then examine their meanings; and find that two of them are 

 probably laws of the geometrical configurations of the different parts 

 of the ether; two more, equations partially defining two convenient 

 vectors, and stating the indestructibility of electricity; while the 

 fifth, Hamilton's Principle, is a law of motion, expressing the per- 

 fectly efficient cooperation of the different parts of the fundamental 

 mechanism of the universe. 



From these laws we may draw certain conclusions about the 

 structure and properties of the ether, which are not, however, enough 

 to enable us to determine exactly what it is. But by a few simple 

 assumptions, we obtain an imaginable model of its actions. And 

 since the model is based directly on the electromagnetic laws, it may 

 be applied, without fear of error, to any electromagnetic problem, 

 to enable us to obtain a qualitative result without mathematical 

 analysis. 



