119J 



amount is constant, and can be represented by E^\ i.e. the Energy 

 that i-eniains when n^^i) (quite potential in the neutral point M, 

 quite kinetic at the moment of the impact). Accordingly this 

 quantity is what Planck and others have called the so-called zero- 

 point energy, which is nothing but the energy of the attractive 

 forces, which is also in connection with the quantity «/,. (Of. also ^ 5). 

 Hence the quantities ii^ and a^'* will always be very differenl 

 according to (J) (only at high temperatures and large volumes there 

 will practically be no difference), and for year« I ha\ e already 

 harboured the conviction that in this ^) we should look for the clue 

 of the remarkable relation between T and E drawn up by Planck 

 for low temperatures and small volumes -- but which according 

 to him can only be derived on the strength of very particular 

 suppositions (the so-called hypothesis of quanta). 



^ 4. Calculation of t and n\ 



According to (c) we now find for t^, putting — \ /^ ~ z= u ■ 



^-J dx 



OK rn 



wliich with 



leads to: 





'^=T-/ -• 0) 



'^ = \/^Yf ^'^^'^ '' *^1^*^') 



2/ 



Hoaches to ^, = I / '. 



2/ 



(2) 



For M, = Qo((p = Ü' this approaches to t, = \y/^^^ log{<p-{-l) = 



= (p IX j-f~ '~^' ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^ expected. The time is then scarcely 

 shortened by the attractive action. But when ^^, approaches 0(r/)= oo), 

 t, approaches [/ ~ log 2rp = |/^ ^ log ( -_- IX - ], which thus 

 approaches logarithmically infinite. This is owing to this, that when 



') Apart of course from the interpretation of the quantity hv occurring in 

 Planck's formula, in which h is a universal constant — whicli forms an 

 entirely separate problem. 



77* 



