8o SCIENCE REMAKING THE WORLD 



definite experiments has been enriched by thousands of 

 delicate researches and the verification of ingenious 

 theories. 



In the first place there has been proved the existence 

 of a counterpart to the electron, a complementary par- 

 ticle, conveniently known to-day as the "proton." In 

 the original literature the proton is called a positive 

 electron, the term deriving from the earlier and arbi- 

 trary classification of electricity as positive or negative. 



Of protons and electrons all known kinds of matter 

 are composed. More than that, these elementary 

 particles are the positive and negative electricities which 

 were earlier assumed to explain electrical phenomena. 

 So now we say that matter is granular in structure and 

 electrical in nature, although we might equally well say 

 that electricity is granular and material. 



These positive and negative specks follow the well- 

 known electrical laws: like particles repelling each other 

 and unlike attracting. Their actions (manifestations 

 of energy), appear as if they were the result of two urges 

 for both of which a common satisfaction is only rarely 

 attained. One is toward the assembling in any region 

 of equal numbers of protons and electrons, that is, a 

 tendency toward an unelectrified condition. Protons 

 are attracted toward regions where there are more 

 electrons than protons, and vice versa. Bodies com- 

 posed of more protons than electrons are called posi- 

 tively charged; and similarly an excess of electrons is 

 the state of a negatively charged body. The uncharged, 

 or neutral, condition with equal numbers is the stable 

 condition. 



