244 ELEMENTS OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. 



portional to the electric field intensity. Thus, Fig. 174 repre- 

 sents the case in which the positive cells have been displaced 

 towards the bottom of the page relatively to the negative cells as 

 shown by the arrows, that is to say, the 

 distortion of the ether structure in Fig. 174 

 represents an electric 



| { f. | A I field directed toward 



' ' I 



(+\ I (+\ the bottom of the page. 

 vy \3/ \l) Figure 175 represents 



/> 



Ql ^) ^O _ ^j\ two meshes of the cell- 

 \y V3/ Q) ular structure of the 



\&/^&/^Qs->&) e th er - These two 



v-/ \^J \^J meshes are square in 



Fi e . 174. the undistorted ether, Fi e- I75 - 



as shown in Fig. 173, whereas the downward displacement of 

 the positive cells in Fig. 1 74 has distorted these meshes, as shown 

 in Figs. 174 and 175. Inasmuch as the cell structure of the 

 ether is assumed to be elastic (the gear teeth in Fig. 172 being 

 made of a substance like rubber), the distortion of the ether 

 structure which is shown in .Fig. 1 74 represents potential energy 

 and this energy is the energy of the electric field (see Art. 104). 



Nearly the whole of the following discussion is based upon the 

 torque action which is exerted upon a given cell by the elastic 

 distortion which is represented in Fig. 175. THr torque action is 

 the connecting link between the electric field and the magnetic field 

 and a clear understanding of it is of the utmost importance. Con- 

 sider the two positive cells to the right of the middle cell in Fig. 

 175. Inasmuch as these two positive cells have been displaced 

 downwards with respect to the middle cell, they exert torques 

 upon the middle cell as shown by the arrows c and d, and 

 these torques are proportional to the intensity of the electric field, 

 that is, to the downward displacements of the cells. The two 

 positive cells to the left of the middle cell in Fig. 175 exert 

 torques which are equal to c and d respectively, but opposite 

 in direction. 



