KATHODE AND RONTGEN RAYS 



that they may be atoms of primordial stuff, or par- 

 ticles broken off from physical atoms. He estimates 

 them to be excessively small about 3/10- 26 of a 

 gramme in mass (about three quadrillions, or 3-one 

 million million million millionths of a gramme) 

 or about the one thousandth part of the size of an 

 atom of Hydrogen. They have a translatory velocity 

 of 40,000 kilometers a second (about 25,000 miles 

 a second), rather less than one-seventh that of light.* 

 Their character, size and velocities approximate those 

 required for the molecules, or the Ions, in the theory 

 of the Atomic structure of the Ether. It is, more- 

 over, opposed to all the known facts and established 

 theories of Chemistry, to admit the possibility of Atoms 

 being broken. The Ether is undoubtedly connected 

 with its phenomena, but it is not generally accepted 

 as an explanation thereof, though maintained by some 

 preference being generally given to the view above 

 stated, i. e., that they are negatively electrified cor- 

 puscles of material atoms. Of the rays that have pas- 

 sed through the sides of the glass tubes (the Rontgen 

 rays), thus separated from the other components of 

 the Kathode rays, even less is known as to their 

 actual nature. The important service that they have 

 rendered mankind is far in advance of any plausible 

 theory of their nature. 



* Estimated now (1902) to be about half that of Light. 

 191 



