﻿Gravitational 
  Bearings 
  oj 
  Electrical 
  llieory 
  of 
  Matter. 
  145 
  

  

  inertias 
  in 
  simple 
  arithmetical 
  fashion, 
  even 
  for 
  atoms 
  much 
  

   more 
  closely 
  packed 
  than 
  hydrogen. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  the 
  positive 
  

   nucleus, 
  wherein 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  an 
  atom 
  resides 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  now 
  prevalent 
  view. 
  That 
  is 
  true 
  ; 
  but 
  

   then, 
  according 
  to 
  analogy, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  

   additional 
  mass 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  still 
  further 
  concentration, 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  positive 
  unit, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  a 
  hydrogen 
  atom, 
  

   must 
  be 
  a 
  thousand 
  or 
  say 
  seven 
  teen-hundred 
  times 
  smaller 
  

   lineally 
  than 
  even 
  the 
  electron 
  ; 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  argument 
  

   for 
  its 
  practical 
  isolation, 
  and 
  for 
  its 
  effective 
  inertia 
  being 
  

   within 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  small 
  distance 
  of 
  its 
  surface, 
  is 
  

   intensified. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  whole 
  then, 
  1 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  argument 
  is 
  

   strongly 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  the 
  full 
  applicability 
  of 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  

   electrical 
  inertia 
  to 
  every 
  kind 
  of 
  atom, 
  and 
  to 
  all 
  masses 
  

   of 
  matter 
  ; 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  just 
  possible 
  that 
  for 
  atoms 
  of 
  high 
  

   atomic 
  weight 
  some 
  modification 
  may 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  

   owing 
  to 
  their 
  presumably 
  more 
  complicated 
  structure, 
  

   especially 
  the 
  more 
  complicated 
  structure 
  of 
  their 
  nuclei. 
  

  

  If 
  this 
  loop-hole 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  closed, 
  what 
  other 
  is 
  

   there 
  ? 
  Yet 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  threatening 
  

   deduction 
  that 
  the 
  oravitative 
  constant 
  is 
  a 
  function 
  of 
  

   velocity, 
  we 
  must 
  seek 
  every 
  way 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  negative 
  con- 
  

   clusion 
  that 
  the 
  perturbations 
  predicted 
  by 
  the 
  electrical 
  

   theory 
  of 
  matter 
  do 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  planets 
  Earth 
  

   and 
  Venus 
  really 
  occur 
  ; 
  or 
  do 
  not 
  occur 
  to 
  anything 
  like 
  

   the 
  extent 
  required 
  by 
  the 
  quantitative 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  

   perturbations 
  of 
  Mercury 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  theory. 
  If 
  the 
  theory 
  

   fails 
  to 
  account 
  correctly 
  for 
  the 
  outstanding 
  perturbations 
  

   of 
  the 
  four 
  inner 
  planets 
  — 
  especially 
  if 
  it 
  makes 
  those 
  per- 
  

   turbations 
  too 
  great, 
  — 
  it 
  seems 
  at 
  presenr 
  as 
  if 
  a 
  variation 
  of 
  

   the 
  gravitative 
  constant 
  for 
  bodies 
  in 
  motion 
  is 
  proved 
  : 
  a 
  

   result 
  too 
  important 
  to 
  be 
  lightly 
  regarded. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  therefore 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  expend 
  some 
  labour 
  in 
  

   calculating 
  what 
  those 
  perturbations 
  would 
  be 
  for 
  the 
  four 
  

   inner 
  planets, 
  given 
  some 
  favourable 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  solar 
  

   drift. 
  

  

  Part 
  II. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  October 
  Philosophical 
  

   Magazine 
  Professor 
  Eddington 
  tentatively 
  adopted 
  but 
  

   partly 
  modified 
  my 
  theory, 
  and 
  also 
  introduced 
  terms 
  

   depending 
  on 
  the 
  excentricity, 
  getting 
  as 
  his 
  final 
  result 
  

   two 
  equations 
  representing 
  the 
  main 
  perturbations 
  to 
  be 
  

   expected 
  from 
  varying 
  inertia, 
  correct 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  power 
  

  

  