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XXVIII. On the Structure of the Atom. 

 By Professor W. Peddie*. 



§ 1. The present Aspect of the Problem. 



I^HE strongly marked violation of the doctrine of equi- 

 partition of energy which is made evident in the 

 phenomena of radiation, together with the violation of the 

 Newtonian dynamics which it seems at first sight to imply, 

 has given rise to the idea of discontinuity of transferences 

 of energy ; and a highly approximate empirical represen- 

 tation of ttie distribution of energy in the spectrum has led 

 to the postulate of a unit of energy as an actual physical 

 entity. But the fact that this unit is a variable, dependent 

 on the frequency, naturally raises doubts as to the physical 

 reality of units separately or superposably located in aether. 

 Though the existence of energy, in association with particular 

 phenomena, in definite multiples of definite units, is an 

 experimental fact, an obviously alternative supposition to 

 the above one is that any emission or absorption of energy 

 in multiples of definite quantities which actually occurs is 

 due to structural peculiarities of the emitting or absorbing 

 mechanism. This is a point which must not be overlooked 

 in spite of the great success as a working hypothesis, in 

 other departments of physics besides that of radiation, of the 

 idea of unitary transmission of energy. The most recent 

 success in the department of radiation has been made bv 

 Dr. Bohr (Phil. Mag. 1913, July, Sept., Nov.) in the appli- 

 cation of the hv postulate to the deduction of the formulae 

 for line spectra. 



\\\ the course of the discussion on spectra at the 191'A 

 meeting of the British Association, I stated that the origin 

 of spectrum series could be found rather in a complicated 

 structure of the atom itself, than in complexity of structure 

 of configurations of electrons circulating in or round a com- 

 paratively simple atomic structure. It is well known that 

 great difficulties beset the deduction of the laws of series on 

 the latter basis. I pointed out that, on the former basis, 

 such difficulties do not exist ; that any spectrum can be 

 accounted for ; that, with rotating spherical distributions of 

 electricity, variations of spectra under different physical 

 conditions can be accounted for ; and that there are sufficient 

 disposable quantities to provide for observance of the laws 

 regulating emission of electrons under the action of Rontgen 

 rays or ultra-violet light. The full discussion is given here. 



* Communicated by the Author. 

 Phil Mag. S. 6. Vol. 27. No. 158. Feb. L914. S 



