﻿178 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  dissolved 
  away 
  into 
  radiation, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  every 
  atom 
  which 
  is 
  capable 
  

   of 
  so 
  doing. 
  This 
  conclusion 
  must, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  admitted 
  quite 
  

   independently 
  of 
  any 
  particular 
  scheme 
  of 
  statistical 
  mechanics. 
  

   The 
  approximation 
  that 
  space 
  is 
  empty 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  alter- 
  

   native 
  form 
  that 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  space 
  is 
  enormously 
  great; 
  space, 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  a 
  receptacle 
  for 
  radiant 
  energy, 
  is 
  a 
  bottomless 
  pit. 
  In 
  the 
  

   terminology 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  mechanics, 
  space 
  has 
  so 
  many 
  degrees 
  of 
  

   freedom 
  that 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  thermodynamical 
  equilibrium 
  so 
  long 
  

   as 
  any 
  energy 
  is 
  concentrated 
  in 
  matter. 
  In 
  more 
  modern 
  language, 
  

   there 
  are 
  so 
  many 
  phase-cells 
  associated 
  with 
  detached 
  radiation, 
  

   that 
  the 
  chance 
  of 
  any 
  energy 
  being 
  found 
  elsewhere 
  is 
  negligible. 
  

  

  The 
  road 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  universe 
  travels 
  to 
  this 
  final 
  state 
  is 
  dis- 
  

   closed 
  by 
  Table 
  III. 
  The 
  last 
  column 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  contain 
  entries 
  

   only 
  in 
  its 
  upper 
  half; 
  the 
  temperatures 
  necessary 
  to 
  effect 
  the 
  

   processes 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  lower 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  table 
  are 
  so 
  high 
  that, 
  to 
  

   the 
  best 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  anywhere 
  in 
  

   the 
  universe. 
  When 
  these 
  latter 
  processes 
  occur, 
  then, 
  they 
  are 
  

   everywhere 
  spontaneous; 
  they 
  are 
  unaffected 
  by 
  the 
  actual 
  tem- 
  

   peratures, 
  and 
  so 
  absorb 
  no 
  radiation. 
  Thus, 
  the 
  transformation, 
  

   "mass 
  — 
  ^ 
  radiation," 
  occurs 
  everywhere, 
  and 
  the 
  reverse 
  transforma- 
  

   tion 
  nowhere. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  creation 
  of 
  matter 
  out 
  of 
  radiation, 
  

   and 
  no 
  reconstruction 
  of 
  radio-active 
  atoms 
  which 
  have 
  once 
  broken 
  

   up. 
  The 
  fabric 
  of 
  the 
  universe 
  weathers, 
  crumbles, 
  and 
  dissolves 
  

   with 
  age, 
  and 
  no 
  restoration 
  or 
  reconstruction 
  is 
  possible. 
  The 
  

   second 
  law 
  of 
  thermodynamics 
  compels 
  the 
  material 
  universe 
  to 
  move 
  

   ever 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  along 
  the 
  same 
  road, 
  a 
  road 
  which 
  ends 
  

   only 
  in 
  death 
  and 
  annihilation. 
  

  

  THE 
  BEGINNING 
  6F 
  THE 
  UNIVERSE 
  

  

  The 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  road 
  is 
  more 
  easily 
  disconcerned 
  than 
  its 
  beginning. 
  

   The 
  atoms 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  annihilating 
  themselves 
  to 
  provide 
  the 
  

   light 
  and 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  stars 
  clearly 
  can 
  not 
  have 
  existed 
  as 
  atoms 
  

   from 
  all 
  time 
  ; 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  begun 
  to 
  exist 
  at 
  some 
  time 
  not 
  infinite- 
  

   ly 
  remote, 
  and 
  this 
  leads 
  us 
  to 
  contemplate 
  a 
  definite 
  event, 
  or 
  series 
  

   of 
  events, 
  or 
  continuous 
  process, 
  of 
  creation 
  of 
  matter. 
  If 
  we 
  want 
  

   a 
  naturalistic 
  interpretation 
  of 
  this 
  creation, 
  we 
  may 
  imagine 
  radiant 
  

   energy 
  of 
  any 
  wave 
  length 
  less 
  than 
  1.3X10"^^ 
  cm. 
  being 
  poured 
  

   into 
  empty 
  space; 
  such 
  radiation 
  might 
  conceivably 
  crystallize 
  into 
  

   electrons 
  and 
  protons, 
  and 
  finally 
  form 
  atoms. 
  If 
  we 
  want 
  a 
  con- 
  

   crete 
  picture, 
  we 
  may 
  think 
  of 
  the 
  finger 
  of 
  God 
  agitating 
  the 
  ether. 
  

   We 
  may 
  avoid 
  this 
  sort 
  of 
  crude 
  imagery 
  by 
  insisting 
  on 
  space, 
  time, 
  

   and 
  matter 
  being 
  treated 
  together 
  and 
  inseparably 
  as 
  a 
  single 
  system, 
  

   so 
  that 
  it 
  becomes 
  meaningless 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  space 
  and 
  time 
  as 
  existing 
  

   at 
  all 
  before 
  matter 
  existed. 
  Such 
  a 
  view 
  is 
  consonant 
  not 
  only 
  

   with 
  ancient 
  metaphysical 
  theories, 
  but 
  also 
  with 
  the 
  modern 
  theory 
  

   of 
  relativity. 
  The 
  universe 
  becomes 
  a 
  finite 
  picture 
  whose 
  dimen- 
  

  

  