﻿THE 
  ARCHITECTURE 
  OF 
  ATOMS 
  AND 
  A 
  UNIVERSE 
  

   BUILT 
  OF 
  ATOMS. 
  

  

  By 
  C. 
  G. 
  Abbot. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  lecture 
  given 
  by 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  N. 
  Russell 
  at 
  the 
  Carnegie 
  Institu- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  December, 
  1922, 
  he 
  concluded 
  with 
  this 
  remarkable 
  state- 
  

   ment: 
  

  

  If 
  a 
  first-rate 
  physicist, 
  well 
  versed 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  knowledge 
  acquired 
  in 
  the 
  

   laboratory 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  quarter 
  century 
  on 
  the 
  structure 
  and 
  properties 
  of 
  

   the 
  atom, 
  should 
  have 
  lived 
  his 
  life 
  on 
  a 
  planet 
  so 
  enshrouded 
  by 
  clouds 
  that 
  

   neither 
  he 
  nor 
  others 
  had 
  ever 
  glimpsed 
  the 
  starry 
  heavens, 
  yet 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  the 
  

   imagination 
  to 
  conceive 
  that 
  immense 
  quantities 
  of 
  matter 
  might 
  lie 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  clouds, 
  he 
  would 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  picture 
  the 
  heavens 
  much 
  as 
  they 
  are, 
  tell 
  

   the 
  probable 
  maximum 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  stars, 
  their 
  minimum 
  distances, 
  the 
  

   range 
  of 
  their 
  diameters 
  and 
  temperatures, 
  the 
  differences 
  of 
  their 
  spectra, 
  

   and 
  in 
  short 
  to 
  duplicate 
  by 
  prediction, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  general 
  features 
  but 
  in 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  details, 
  the 
  actual 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  universe 
  forever 
  hidden 
  

   from 
  him. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  run 
  over 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  course 
  which 
  his 
  mind 
  might 
  

   follow 
  in 
  this 
  extraordinary 
  prediction. 
  First, 
  what 
  is 
  an 
  atom 
  

   and 
  how 
  is 
  it 
  related 
  to 
  light? 
  

  

  The 
  atoms 
  of 
  all 
  substances 
  are 
  built 
  of 
  what 
  we 
  might 
  call 
  the 
  

   same 
  kinds 
  of 
  bricks. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  kinds 
  in 
  every 
  atom, 
  one 
  kind 
  

   called 
  protons, 
  which 
  are 
  positive 
  electrical 
  charges, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

   called 
  electrons, 
  which 
  are 
  negative 
  electrical 
  charges. 
  Of 
  these, 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  protons 
  are 
  clustered 
  at 
  the 
  center 
  or 
  nucleus 
  of 
  the 
  atom, 
  

   but 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  electrons 
  lie 
  in 
  outside 
  orbits, 
  or 
  if 
  not 
  properly 
  

   orbits 
  then 
  vibrating 
  semistable 
  configurations 
  of 
  definite 
  radii 
  as 
  

   measured 
  from 
  the 
  nucleus. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  detach 
  electrons 
  

   from 
  the 
  atoms 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  of 
  chemical 
  elements. 
  This 
  can 
  be 
  

   done 
  by 
  heating, 
  by 
  electrical 
  means, 
  and 
  by 
  bombardment 
  of 
  radium 
  

   or 
  X 
  rays. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  electrons 
  pass 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  only 
  from 
  

   one 
  orbit 
  or 
  position 
  of 
  configuration 
  to 
  the 
  next, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  they 
  

   are 
  driven 
  quite 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  sphere 
  of 
  influence 
  of 
  their 
  atom, 
  become 
  

   temporarily 
  free 
  electrons, 
  and 
  are 
  captured 
  by 
  some 
  other 
  atom 
  

   after 
  wandering 
  free 
  for 
  a 
  brief 
  time. 
  In 
  these 
  separations 
  and 
  ap- 
  

   proaches 
  of 
  electrons 
  from 
  orbit 
  to 
  orbit 
  reside 
  the 
  absorption 
  and 
  

  

  157 
  

  

  