﻿On 
  the 
  Structure 
  of 
  the 
  Atom. 
  793 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  the 
  forces 
  which 
  may 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  atom, 
  we 
  

   must 
  remember 
  that 
  we 
  cannot 
  assume 
  that 
  the 
  forces 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  charges 
  of 
  electricity 
  inside 
  the 
  atom 
  are 
  of 
  exactly 
  

   the 
  same 
  character 
  as 
  those 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  ordinary 
  laws 
  of 
  

   Electrostatics 
  ; 
  these 
  laws 
  may 
  merely 
  represent 
  the 
  averags 
  

   effect 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  such 
  charges, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  

   of 
  averaging 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  may 
  disappear. 
  

  

  Thus 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  force 
  exerted 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  atomic 
  

   charge 
  may 
  not 
  spread 
  out 
  uniformly 
  in 
  all 
  directions, 
  but 
  be 
  

   concentrated 
  along 
  certain 
  lines 
  or 
  cones. 
  The 
  lines 
  of 
  

   electric 
  force 
  springing 
  from 
  such 
  a 
  charge 
  may 
  not 
  fill 
  all 
  

   the 
  space 
  around 
  the 
  charged 
  particle; 
  each 
  particle 
  may 
  be 
  

   the 
  origin 
  of 
  a 
  force 
  which, 
  instead 
  of 
  filling 
  the 
  space 
  round 
  

   it, 
  may 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  narrow 
  tube 
  of 
  force, 
  outside 
  which 
  

   the 
  particle 
  produces 
  no 
  effect. 
  In 
  fine, 
  we 
  may 
  attribute 
  

   to 
  the 
  forces 
  inside 
  the 
  atom 
  a 
  different 
  distribution 
  and 
  

   character 
  from 
  that 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  if 
  the 
  forces 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  atomic 
  charges 
  obeyed 
  in 
  all 
  respects 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   laws 
  of 
  Electrostatics. 
  The 
  only 
  criterion 
  w 
  T 
  e 
  need 
  apply 
  to 
  

   the 
  forces 
  inside 
  the 
  atom 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  properties 
  which 
  the 
  

   atom 
  would 
  possess 
  in 
  virtue 
  of 
  these 
  forces 
  should 
  cor- 
  

   respond 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  atom. 
  

  

  We 
  shall 
  now 
  endeavour 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  

   kind 
  we 
  are 
  considering 
  would 
  be 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  atom, 
  if 
  

   the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  forces 
  acting 
  on 
  a 
  corpuscle 
  in 
  the 
  atom 
  

   was 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (1) 
  A 
  radial 
  repulsive 
  force, 
  varying 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  cube 
  

   of 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  centre, 
  diffused 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  

   of 
  the 
  atom, 
  combined 
  with 
  

  

  (2) 
  A 
  radial 
  attractive 
  force, 
  varying 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  square 
  

   of 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  centre, 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  

   of 
  radial 
  tubes 
  in 
  the 
  atom. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  these 
  forces, 
  one 
  varying 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  

   cube, 
  the 
  other 
  as 
  the 
  square 
  of 
  the 
  distance, 
  we 
  may 
  point 
  

   out 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  forces 
  which 
  occur 
  most 
  frequently 
  in 
  

   ordinary 
  Mechanics. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  to 
  elaborate 
  this 
  

   point 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  inverse 
  square 
  law. 
  The 
  force 
  

   varying 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  cube 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  snme 
  

   type 
  as 
  ordinary 
  "centrifugal 
  force." 
  Jt 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  usual 
  

   type 
  of 
  force 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  kinetic 
  energy 
  of 
  the 
  system, 
  when 
  

   we 
  regard 
  forces 
  as 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  inertia 
  of 
  systems 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  primary 
  one. 
  In 
  fact, 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  effects 
  as 
  are 
  

   produced 
  by 
  the 
  force 
  varying 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  cube 
  of 
  the 
  

   distance 
  would 
  be 
  obtained, 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  something 
  in 
  the 
  

   structure 
  of 
  the 
  atom 
  which 
  compelled 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  

  

  