﻿408 
  K 
  A. 
  Hill— 
  Argon, 
  Pr 
  out's 
  

  

  Says 
  Professor 
  Fitzgerald 
  (discussing 
  Lord 
  Rayleigh's 
  paper): 
  

   " 
  That 
  the 
  atoms 
  in 
  Argon 
  may 
  be 
  very 
  closely 
  connected 
  

   seems 
  likely 
  from 
  its 
  very 
  great 
  chemical 
  inertness. 
  Hence 
  

   the 
  conclusion 
  from 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  its 
  specific 
  heats 
  may 
  be 
  not 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  monatomic 
  but 
  that 
  its 
  atoms 
  are 
  so 
  bound 
  together 
  

   in 
  its 
  molecule 
  that 
  it 
  behaves 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  mon- 
  

   atomic." 
  

  

  And 
  again 
  (Dr. 
  Armstrong) 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  

   atoms 
  exist 
  so 
  firmly 
  locked 
  in 
  each 
  other's 
  embrace 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  perfectly 
  content 
  to 
  roll 
  on 
  together 
  without 
  taking 
  

   up 
  any 
  energy 
  that 
  is 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  molecule." 
  

  

  A 
  rigid 
  mathematical 
  analysis 
  would 
  unduly 
  lengthen 
  this 
  

   paper 
  but 
  the 
  principles 
  involved 
  are 
  obvious. 
  Some 
  prelimi- 
  

   nary 
  calculations 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  show 
  that 
  if 
  Gr 
  = 
  the 
  

   force 
  of 
  gravitation, 
  R 
  = 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  repulsion, 
  and 
  d 
  — 
  any 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  atom 
  then 
  

  

  Ford 
  = 
  

  

  * 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  * 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  4 
  

  

  8 
  

  

  G-R 
  = 
  

  

  — 
  4032 
  

  

  — 
  240 
  

  

  — 
  12 
  

  

  

  

  0-]88 
  

  

  0-058 
  

  

  0-0154 
  

  

  Showing 
  how 
  rapidly 
  the 
  repulsive 
  force 
  would 
  increase 
  at 
  less 
  

   than 
  the 
  imaginary 
  atomic 
  diameter 
  (d 
  = 
  1). 
  At 
  close 
  dis- 
  

   tances 
  theory 
  requires 
  that 
  the 
  repulsive 
  should 
  greatly 
  exceed 
  

   the 
  attractive 
  force, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  produce 
  rebound 
  after 
  impact, 
  

   but 
  at 
  distances 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  molecular 
  diameter 
  the 
  attrac- 
  

   tive 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  greater 
  force. 
  This 
  repulsive 
  force 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  corresponds 
  to 
  that 
  resisting 
  compression 
  in 
  liquids 
  and 
  

   solids, 
  and 
  which 
  at 
  small 
  distances 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  nil, 
  but 
  

   at 
  the 
  surface 
  quickly 
  becomes 
  enormous 
  in 
  amount. 
  Says 
  

   Maxwell 
  " 
  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  from 
  the 
  great 
  resistance 
  of 
  

   liquids 
  to 
  compression 
  that 
  the 
  molecules 
  are 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  

   same 
  distance 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  as 
  that 
  at 
  which 
  two 
  molecules 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  substance 
  in 
  the 
  gaseous 
  form 
  act 
  on 
  each 
  other 
  

   during 
  an 
  encounter." 
  

  

  A 
  molecule 
  composed 
  of 
  atoms 
  of 
  this 
  kind, 
  having 
  no 
  real 
  

   surfaces 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  molecules 
  during 
  the 
  

   encounter 
  (friction 
  eliminated) 
  would 
  act 
  in 
  a 
  way 
  tending 
  to 
  

   avoid 
  internal 
  rotation 
  where 
  solid 
  elliptical 
  or 
  eccentric 
  atoms 
  

   would 
  when 
  in 
  contact 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  it. 
  Thus 
  A 
  1 
  A 
  2 
  , 
  B 
  1 
  B 
  2 
  being 
  

   the 
  atoms 
  of 
  molecules 
  A 
  and 
  B 
  during 
  an 
  approach, 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  A 
  1 
  B 
  1 
  between 
  one 
  pair 
  of 
  atoms 
  would 
  usually 
  be 
  less 
  

   than 
  between 
  the 
  other 
  pair. 
  When 
  this 
  distance 
  was 
  reduced 
  

   to 
  d, 
  their 
  approach 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  quickly 
  checked, 
  the 
  distance 
  

   A 
  2 
  B 
  2 
  almost 
  as 
  quickly 
  reduced 
  to 
  d, 
  the 
  same 
  value, 
  and 
  their 
  

  

  electrical 
  fluids, 
  Thus 
  when 
  two 
  atoms 
  are 
  aggregated 
  into 
  a 
  molecule 
  by 
  this 
  

   force, 
  it 
  is 
  thereby 
  cancelled 
  or 
  saturated 
  within 
  the 
  molecule, 
  its 
  energy 
  becomes 
  

   potential 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  and 
  the 
  force 
  unlike 
  gravitation, 
  ceases 
  to 
  act 
  on 
  bodies 
  

   without 
  the 
  molecule. 
  

  

  