﻿28 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  C. 
  Crehore 
  on 
  the 
  Formation 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  account 
  an 
  experimental 
  apparatus 
  has 
  been 
  arranged 
  from 
  

   which 
  approximate 
  results 
  have 
  been 
  secured. 
  

  

  "Whether 
  it 
  is 
  true 
  or 
  not 
  that 
  the 
  electrons 
  are 
  confined 
  

   to 
  one 
  plane 
  within 
  the 
  positive 
  sphere 
  because 
  of 
  revolution 
  

   in 
  their 
  orbits, 
  there 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  suspect 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  fact 
  

   sufficiently 
  convincing 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  desirable 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  

   exact 
  positions 
  of 
  the 
  electrons 
  under 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  that 
  all 
  

   their 
  orbits 
  lie 
  in 
  one 
  plane 
  in 
  one 
  atom. 
  The 
  difficulties 
  of 
  

   solution 
  almost 
  limit 
  us 
  to 
  this 
  hypothesis 
  anyway, 
  but 
  the 
  

   results 
  seem 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  true 
  arrange- 
  

   ment, 
  thus 
  making 
  it 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  consider 
  a 
  space 
  distri- 
  

   bution 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  

  

  Experimental 
  Methods. 
  

  

  The 
  experimental 
  problem 
  to 
  be 
  solved 
  may 
  then 
  be 
  stated 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  given 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  equal 
  bodies 
  confined 
  to 
  one 
  

   plane 
  and 
  perfectly 
  free 
  to 
  move 
  in 
  that 
  plane 
  without 
  

   friction, 
  where 
  will 
  each 
  come 
  to 
  rest 
  in 
  stable 
  equilibrium 
  

   if 
  we 
  suppose 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  acted 
  upon 
  by 
  forces 
  obeying 
  

   two 
  different 
  laws 
  ? 
  First, 
  that 
  each 
  body 
  is 
  attracted 
  toward 
  

   one 
  common 
  centre 
  by 
  a 
  force 
  proportional 
  to 
  its 
  displace- 
  

   ment 
  from 
  that 
  centre 
  ; 
  and 
  second, 
  that 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  bodies 
  

   repels 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  others 
  by 
  a 
  force 
  inversely 
  proportional 
  to 
  

   the 
  square 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  between 
  them. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  

   assumptions 
  made 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  electrons 
  within 
  the 
  

   sphere 
  of 
  positive 
  electrification 
  of 
  the 
  atom. 
  

  

  An 
  attempt 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  others 
  to 
  solve 
  this 
  problem 
  

   by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  magnets 
  floating 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  a 
  liquid. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  figures 
  obtained 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  1 
  

   (PI. 
  I.). 
  Comparing 
  these 
  figures 
  with 
  Table 
  I., 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  

   that 
  the 
  calculated 
  figures 
  are 
  not 
  produced 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  

   by 
  the 
  magnets. 
  The 
  central 
  rings 
  form 
  sooner 
  as 
  magnets 
  

   are 
  added 
  than 
  they 
  should 
  to 
  reproduce 
  the 
  figures 
  in 
  the 
  

   table 
  exactly. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  third 
  ring 
  begins 
  to 
  form 
  

   when 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  15 
  magnets 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  17 
  electrons 
  

   calculated. 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  anticipated 
  difficulties 
  in 
  obtaining 
  an 
  

   arrangement 
  with 
  magnets 
  in 
  a 
  magnetic 
  field 
  to 
  produce 
  

   the 
  required 
  laws 
  of 
  attraction 
  and 
  repulsion, 
  it 
  was 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  more 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  conditions 
  could 
  be 
  more 
  

   nearly 
  approximated 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  electrostatic 
  charges 
  upon 
  

   spheres. 
  This 
  force 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  kind 
  which 
  operates 
  

   between 
  the 
  electrons 
  themselves, 
  the 
  difference 
  being 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  electrons 
  upon 
  each 
  charged 
  sphere 
  

   corresponding 
  to 
  a 
  single 
  electron 
  in 
  the 
  atom. 
  Instead 
  of 
  

   floating 
  the 
  spheres 
  upon 
  a 
  liquid 
  as 
  with 
  magnets 
  each 
  was 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  