﻿BioKERTON. 
  — 
  On 
  Vartial 
  Impact, 
  12S 
  

  

  Abt, 
  VIII, 
  — 
  Partial 
  Impact: 
  a 
  possible 
  Explanation 
  of 
  the 
  Orighi 
  of 
  the 
  Solar 
  

   System, 
  Comets, 
  and 
  other 
  Phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  Universe. 
  By 
  Professor 
  

   A. 
  W, 
  BicKEETON, 
  F.C.S., 
  Associate 
  Eoyal 
  School 
  of 
  Mines, 
  London. 
  

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Philosophical 
  Institute 
  of 
  Canterbury, 
  1st 
  August, 
  1878.] 
  

   In 
  the 
  last 
  paper 
  which 
  I 
  submitted 
  to 
  the 
  Institute, 
  I 
  gave 
  a 
  short 
  sketch 
  

   of 
  some 
  hypothetical 
  cases 
  of 
  partial 
  collisions, 
  and 
  suggested 
  that 
  such 
  

   cases 
  might 
  possibly 
  be 
  of 
  frequent 
  occurrence 
  throughout 
  space, 
  and 
  might 
  

   offer 
  an 
  explanation 
  of 
  many 
  phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  universe. 
  I 
  especially 
  

   showed 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  to 
  temporary 
  and 
  variable 
  stars. 
  

   To-night 
  I 
  intend 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  appears 
  competent 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  the 
  solar 
  system, 
  of 
  comets, 
  of 
  meteors, 
  and 
  of 
  some 
  variety 
  of 
  

   nebulae. 
  I 
  shall, 
  however, 
  izi 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  point 
  out 
  the 
  very 
  great 
  dif- 
  

   ference 
  which 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  capabilities 
  of 
  cases 
  of 
  partial 
  and 
  com,p)lete 
  

   collision, 
  the 
  first 
  offering 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  possibilities 
  of 
  cosmical 
  phenomena 
  

   which 
  is 
  really 
  surprising, 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  probably 
  confined 
  to 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   rare 
  cases. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  last 
  paper 
  I 
  assumed 
  that 
  the 
  partial 
  collision 
  of 
  two 
  attracting 
  

   bodies 
  having 
  an 
  original 
  proper 
  motion 
  in 
  space, 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  

   likely 
  than 
  entire 
  coalescence. 
  It 
  appeared, 
  however, 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  general 
  

   idea, 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  bodies 
  struck 
  at 
  all, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  that 
  their 
  mutual 
  attraction 
  

   would 
  certainly 
  produce 
  complete 
  coalescence. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  was 
  

   generally 
  admitted 
  that 
  two 
  bodies 
  when 
  attracted 
  by 
  each 
  other 
  would 
  

   seldom 
  come 
  into 
  contact, 
  but 
  would 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  be 
  carried 
  by 
  their 
  

   original 
  velocity 
  away 
  once 
  more 
  from 
  each 
  other's 
  influence. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  bodies 
  has 
  increased 
  enormously 
  

   without 
  increase 
  of 
  mass 
  for 
  a 
  ease 
  of 
  mere 
  disturbance 
  to 
  become 
  one 
  of 
  

   partial 
  collision; 
  the 
  generality 
  of 
  the 
  case 
  is 
  thus 
  practically 
  demonstrated. 
  

   As 
  cases 
  of 
  partial 
  collisions 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  infinite 
  variety, 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  

   simplicity 
  I 
  have 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  (except 
  where 
  stated 
  to 
  the 
  contrary) 
  assumed 
  

   that 
  all 
  the 
  colliding 
  bodies 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  ; 
  comj)osed 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   chemical 
  elements 
  ; 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  initial 
  proper 
  motions, 
  the 
  velocity 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  small 
  compared 
  with 
  that 
  developed 
  by 
  attraction 
  ; 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  

   mass 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  bodies 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  pair 
  is 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  If 
  two 
  bodies 
  come 
  into 
  direct 
  collision 
  from 
  rest, 
  a 
  definite 
  energy 
  of 
  

   velocity 
  wiU 
  be 
  acquired 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  contact, 
  depending 
  solely 
  on 
  the 
  

   mass. 
  After 
  coalescence, 
  if 
  a 
  single 
  particle 
  were 
  attracted 
  from 
  infinite 
  

   space, 
  the 
  particle 
  being 
  attracted 
  by 
  the 
  whole 
  coalesced 
  mass, 
  and 
  this 
  

   mass 
  not 
  appreciably 
  moving 
  towards 
  the 
  particle, 
  twice 
  the 
  force 
  would 
  act 
  

   through 
  twice 
  the 
  space, 
  and 
  would 
  develope 
  twice 
  the 
  velocity, 
  or 
  four 
  

   times 
  the 
  energy. 
  Hence, 
  also, 
  a 
  particle 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  body 
  must 
  have 
  this 
  

   double 
  velocity. 
  Therefore, 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  reasonable 
  to 
  expect 
  that 
  

  

  