EVIDENCE PKOVING THE STATEMENT OF THE CASE 47 



in Nature a sphere or a point ? Even in astronomy 

 mathematics fail. " Given," says Dr. Lodge, " three 

 rigid spherical masses thrown into empty space with 

 any initial motions whatever, and abandoned to 

 gravity : to determine their subsequent motions. With 

 two masses the problem is simple enough, being prettv 

 well summed up in Kepler's laws ; but with three 

 masses, strange to say, it is so complicated as to be 

 beyond the reach of even modern mathematics. It is 

 a famous problem, known as that of ' the three bodies,' 

 but it has not yet been solved. Even when it is solved 

 it will be only a close approximation to the case of 

 earth, moon, and sun, for these bodies are not spherical, 

 and are not rigid." And does not this also apply 

 to every object in space ? 



And more, bodies in space do not move in un- 

 deviating paths there are no true ellipses, 2 and the 

 terrestrial month is slowly, very slowly altering. 3 With 

 such facts as these before us, how can nature be inter- 

 preted by rigid ideas ? These physical ideas certainly 

 help under certain exceptional conditions, and these are 

 all artificial human. The science of mathematics is 

 most valuable in tracing phenomena relating to a fluid 

 in a water pipe or gas pipe, or a similar fluid in a copper 

 lead. But where in Nature do we find a lead pipe or a 

 copper lead ? Let us consider the motions of the 

 molecules of which the sea consists now almost a 

 calm, then a raging storm. Let us consider the like 

 molecules pushing themselves in the air and we call them 

 steam, or the motions of the air molecules as shown by 



1 "Pioneers of Science," Prof. 0. Lodge, F.R.S., &c., 1893, 

 p, 217. 



2 Idem, p. 319. 3 Idem, p. 390. 



