TENDENCIES OF MODERN PHYSICS 63 



matter, such as inertia, conservation, gravitational at- 

 traction, extent, etc. Certain additional properties 

 add to its conquests, since, by splitting up the atoms, a 

 new set of pawns is available to the players of this 

 game of probability and chance. 



The diversity of the chemical elements may be said 

 to result from the various stable combinations which 

 the sub-atoms may be made to assume. Professor 

 Rutherford developed his ingenious theory of radio- 

 activity by supposing certain elements to be in a state of 

 comparatively unstable equilibrium. A definite pro- 

 portion of their atoms explodes continuously, reduc- 

 ing the atomic weight of the parent body, and supply- 

 ing the spontaneous energy noted experimentally. This 

 process continues until a stable form is reached. But 

 does he not forget that one of the triumphs of the old 

 atomic theory, a proof that the chemical atom could 

 never be divided into sub-atoms, was that when an un- 

 stable compound, like gunpowder, exploded, the con- 

 stituents were found to be stable chemical atoms? 



The phenomena of electricity are naturally the main 

 problems attacked. A current of electricity in this new 

 hypothesis becomes the flow of immaterial particles 

 of electricity in a metal conduit, carrying with them 

 their energy of motion. In non-conductors, like glass, 

 they may be heaped up into an excess of positive or 

 negative to provide a picture of the free charges on such 

 substances. Radiant light, heat, and electricity are 



