Beta Rays and Atomic Numbei 



395 



effect what Schmidt did. He was thus led to deny the 

 existence of any periodicity in the absorption coefficient. 

 But when exhibited as they are here it seems most likely 

 that the curve is really periodic, and that Schmidt's con- 

 clusions were only rendered possible by the fact that he 



Fig. 1. 



4-C 



3-0 ! 



On 



2-0 



1-0 











Q&f 















/ 



&/ 





--%)- 



1 



r 





--CDo-- 









A 







-OCr- 









■ 



2-5 



2-25 



2-0 



1-0 



1-2 



1-6 



1-8 



1-75 



accidentally confined his work to elements which were all 

 grouped very closely about the centres of the periods. 

 I think the work of Schmidt therefore does not establish the 

 conclusions which he drew from it, and that his results really 

 confirm the existence of the periodicity which Crowther had 

 earlier detected. 



4. The atomic scattering coefficient. — The figures 

 in the last column of the table increase regularly as one 



