364 ON PHYSICAL DATA 



If the particles which compose a fluid mass 

 be so situated as to have no attractive influence, 

 then the least possible force will be sufiicient to 

 separate the particles, and enable them to move 

 amongst each other with great facility, in the 

 case of rigid bodies whose particles are in a state 

 of rest with respect to each other ; if the particles 

 be placed so that the distance between them is 



P — P 



equal to p^p , then the force 



5p,-|- ^(,'~ ^H p'~p will have to be overcome, in 



order to disengage the regidity of the mass. Of 

 course these are only speculations and proposed, 

 (with great respect of the opinions of other culti- 

 vators of science,) by the writer as being, in his 

 opinion, the probable cause of the constitution of 

 material bodies. 



If we add h to the above value of oc, in equa- 

 tion {a), then A attracts B for all values of x 



greater than p^p 



if 



+ 



P. 



M+^i (M+') m.^" 



p. 



m.^^) 



