74 THE NEW KNOWLEDGE. 



free than they become nuclei, about which atoms and mole- 

 cules collect, until they form masses many times larger 

 than the original molecules of the gas. This is quite con- 

 sistent with what we have learned concerning the formation 

 of clouds in the presence of corpuscles. 



Resume of what we have learned about corpuscles. 



Corpuscles are generated from: 



(1) Burning gases. 



(2) Glowing metals and carbon. 



(3) Electrical discharges in gases at low pressures. 



(4) X-rays. 



(5) Metals on the impact of ultra-violet light. 



Nature and properties: 



(1) They are negatively electrified particles. 



(2) They have a velocity of from 10,000 to 



90,000 miles a second. 



(3) They have the same electrical charge as a 



hydrogen atom. 



(4) They have a mass equal to one one-thous- 



andth of a hydrogen atom. 



(5) They discharge electrified bodies. 



(6) They are deflected by a magnet so that they 



tend to go in a circle. 



(7) They are deflected by an electrostatic force. 



(8) They cause phosphorescence in bodies which 



they strike. 



(9) They give rise to heat in bodies which they 



strike. 



(10) They communicate mechanical motion to 



bodies which they strike. 



