594 



of aberration, which might be released from 0-37 X 10^^ dynes (pla- 

 tinum and paraftin), can never be demonstrated by means of a torsion- 

 balance, as this apparatus is fundamentally unsuitable for this 

 pur|)08e. 



But the torsion-balance would not fail to indicate any possible 

 variation of direction, i.e. aberration of the excess of 3 X 10^^ dynes 

 per gram of platinum. 



Of these 3 ,v; 10" dynes of attraction only f are to be taken 

 into consideration for aberration, viz. onl^y the sum of all the forces 

 in the 2 directions normal to the motion, but no forces parallel to 

 the direction of translation. 



Let us now take into account that every single line of force, 

 acting at its extremities on two molecules, consists of two forces, 

 each equal to the tension along that line of force. It is true, that, 

 when the molecules are at rest, those two forces are exactly equal 

 and exactly opposed ; their suvi as such is nihil. But if there were 

 any effect of aberration, the aberration-components, though resulting 

 from o{)posed forces, would each be parallel to the direction of 

 motion; hence they would be mutually parallel and both point in 

 the same direction. Their .«»» would manifest itself in the expei'iment. 



For example : let us imagine two equal molecules, A and B, 

 attracting each other, when at rest, with a force i^ along the joining 

 line AB. If these molecules travel through the ether in a direction 

 normal to the joining line, and if gravitation requires time for its 

 extension, the agent acting on A will no longer reach point A along 

 BA, but along a diverging direction, forming an angle with AB 

 (conceived in the plane passing through .45 and through the direction 

 of translation). The action which is not directed along the joining 

 line AB would produce a force-component X AB in A, but in B 

 an equal component of force will originate, and the components of 

 the two will have the same direction in spite of their arising from 

 forces óf opposite directions. 



We presume, in this experiment, that f ,\ 2x3x10'^ dynes of 

 attraction per gram are present in the platinum ball, of which the 

 presence of 1-48 X 10' dynes of aberration-component is excluded 

 in our straight registered line; not even i-48 X 10"' to 4 X 10^' 



dvnes, i. e. not X 'he total complex of forces manifested 



2-7 >. 1Ü3Ö 



itself outside the system. 



In virtue of our mode of derivation, we shall assign no value to 



the factor 27, and we shall round off our figures to powers of ten. 



It follows from the straight registered line that the "ether wind" 



