﻿6SS 
  Prof. 
  J. 
  J. 
  Thomson 
  on 
  

  

  round 
  the 
  positive 
  charge. 
  This 
  hypothesis 
  would 
  also 
  

   explain 
  the 
  constancy 
  of 
  e/m 
  in 
  the 
  Canalstrahlen 
  produced 
  

   from 
  different 
  gases. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  ways 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  doublet 
  might 
  get 
  

   broken 
  up 
  after 
  it 
  had 
  escaped 
  from 
  the 
  molecule. 
  Thus, 
  

   for 
  example, 
  if 
  another 
  corpuscle, 
  which 
  we 
  shall 
  call 
  for 
  

   brevity 
  a 
  comet, 
  were 
  under 
  the 
  attraction 
  of 
  the 
  positive 
  

   particle 
  to 
  describe 
  an 
  orbit 
  such 
  as 
  that 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  7, 
  

  

  Fist. 
  7. 
  

  

  

  then 
  when 
  the 
  comet 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighbourhood 
  

   of 
  the 
  positive 
  particle, 
  it 
  would 
  neutralize 
  the 
  attraction 
  of 
  

   this 
  particle 
  on 
  the 
  corpuscle 
  in 
  the 
  doublet 
  ; 
  thus 
  this 
  will 
  

   move 
  off 
  with 
  undiminished 
  velocity 
  along 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  

   and 
  when 
  the 
  comet 
  has 
  left 
  the 
  system, 
  will, 
  if 
  not 
  free, 
  be 
  

   at 
  any 
  rate 
  further 
  from 
  the 
  positive 
  particle 
  than 
  it 
  was 
  

   before, 
  and 
  still 
  possessed 
  of 
  its 
  original 
  kinetic 
  energy 
  ; 
  if 
  it 
  

   did 
  not 
  get 
  free 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  comet, 
  a 
  

   repetition 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  by 
  other 
  comets 
  might 
  liberate 
  it 
  

   from 
  the 
  doublet. 
  The 
  same 
  effect 
  might 
  be 
  produced 
  if 
  the 
  

   positive 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  doublet 
  came 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  gaseous 
  molecule, 
  

   which 
  behaved 
  like 
  a 
  conductor 
  of 
  electricity 
  ; 
  the 
  negative 
  

   charges 
  induced 
  on 
  the 
  conductor 
  would 
  balance 
  the 
  attraction 
  

   of 
  the 
  positive 
  particle 
  on 
  the 
  corpuscle 
  in 
  the 
  doublet, 
  and 
  

   just 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  case, 
  the 
  corpuscle 
  would 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  

   get 
  off 
  with 
  undiminished 
  velocity. 
  

  

  The 
  questions 
  now 
  arise, 
  can 
  we 
  get 
  any 
  experimental 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  these 
  doublets, 
  and 
  is 
  it 
  possible 
  

   that 
  such 
  systems, 
  if 
  they 
  existed, 
  could 
  have 
  escaped 
  the 
  

  

  