6 ELECTROLYSIS. 



that when an electrified body is in the vicinity of a neutral 

 body, there is an action of the former upon the latter : the forces 

 resulting therefrom disturb the equilibrium of the neutral body 

 and cause a new distribution of electricity to take place. 



Electrified bodies are possessed of the property of attracting 

 light bodies ; in other words, when a metallic wire is in an 

 electric circuit, it possesses magnetic properties easy to verify. 

 If iron filings are projected around a vertical conductor through 

 which an electric current is passing, a phantom, analogous to 

 that of magnets, will be formed. The lines of force are closed 

 curves following the same laws as those produced by magnets. 



If two currents flow near each other in a same direction 

 their lines of force are of elliptic shape, the wires being at the 

 focuses ; should the two currents flow in opposite directions, 

 the lines of force form two clearly distinct systems. 



Ampere has demonstrated that two parallel currents flowing 

 in the same direction attract, and two parallel currents flowing 

 in opposite directions repel each other. 



These laws appear at first sight to be contrary to the law-of 

 Coulomb, but it should be observed that Ampere treated of 

 currents, and that Coulomb dealt especially with electrostatics 

 and electric particles. The following is Coulomb's law : Two 

 electric particles exert upon each other a repulsive or an 

 attractive action, according as they are of the same or of 

 contrary names ; the said action varies proportionally to the 

 masses of the acting bodies, and in an inverse ratio to the 

 square of their distance. 



ELECTRIC POTENTIAL. As we have already said, nothing 

 certain on the exact nature of electricity is known, and in the 

 actual state of science, the existence of fluids carrying with them 

 the idea of action at distance is only explained by some very 

 doubtful hypotheses. This mystery, which surrounds the causes 

 of the electric phenomena, is not, however, peculiar to manifes- 

 tations of the current only ; nothing is known of the nature of 

 light, heat, motion, &c. All the forms of energy can be verified, 

 measured, modified, or entirely transformed, but it has as yet 

 been found impossible to discover their initial causes. The 

 want of any rational explanation of the exact origin of facts 



