PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 811 



vast amount of unassociated force, exists in a condition indepen- 

 dent of, or unrecognized by, the human senses. Guided by induc- 

 tive reasoning, based upon observed facts, however we may con- 

 sider every position in space to be occupied by a force in every 

 direction, each force in anyone direction being infinite in amount. 

 Without entering upon a useless speculation as to the ultimate 

 nature of force, it may be simply defined as that which, when asso- 

 ciated with matter, causes it to move, and we shall find that the 

 amount so associated with any given matter, is subject to change, 

 under the influence of other matter, in such a manner as to present 

 the appearance of a transferrence of force from one body to another. 

 "We shall probably find, however, on investigation, that this appear- 

 ance is not sustained by the reality. 



Gravitation^ the primary form of association between force and 

 matter, is made up of two resultant forces, always equal and oppo- 

 site, and is due to the interception by each pair of gravitating 

 atoms, of portions of two opposite rays of force, by which means 

 the internal forces, or those between the atoms, are rendered less 

 than the external forces. The ratio of the intensity of these 

 resultant forces to the inverse squares of the distances, is an obvi- 

 ous consequence of the radiant nature of the forces. 



The "Third Law " of Newton, that action and reaction are equal 

 and opposite, is simply a corollary of that of gravitation just stated, 

 namely, that the mterception of universal force by eacii pair of 

 atoms is equal and opposite. This will appear more fully as we 

 proceed. 



The inertia of an atom is measured by the amount of a given 

 force with which it becomes associated in a given time. Matter 

 being considered as a vehicle for force, inertia is its carrying capa- 

 city. The amount of interception, and consequent intensity of the 

 gravitation, between two atoms, depends upon the amount of inertia 

 they possess, or if estimated between two masses or aggregations 

 • of atoms, upon the united suras of the inertias, due allowance being 

 made for variations in direction and distance, of the component 

 atoms. 



The primary properties of matter are indentity, position and iner- 

 tia. All other general properties such as extension, hardness or 

 rigidity, impenetrability, elasticity, expansibility and compress- 

 ibility, and the special properties of diflerent substances are the 

 manifestations of associated force. 



The ^^ molecular forces ^^ including heat, light, electricity, mag- 



