﻿404 
  Roidand 
  — 
  The 
  Highest 
  Aim 
  of 
  the 
  Physicist. 
  

  

  the 
  law 
  to 
  hold 
  and 
  deduce 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  

   our 
  unit 
  of 
  mass. 
  Hence, 
  when 
  we 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  

   earth 
  is 
  5|- 
  times 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  equal 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  we 
  assume 
  

   the 
  law 
  of 
  gravitation 
  to 
  be 
  that 
  of 
  IS'ewton. 
  Thus 
  a 
  proof 
  of 
  

   the 
  law 
  from 
  planetary 
  down 
  to 
  terrestrial 
  distances 
  is 
  phys- 
  

   ically 
  impossible. 
  

  

  Again, 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  which 
  says 
  that 
  gravitational 
  

   attraction 
  is 
  proportional 
  to 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  matter, 
  which 
  is 
  

   the 
  same 
  as 
  saying 
  that 
  the 
  attraction 
  of 
  one 
  body 
  by 
  another 
  

   is 
  not 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  third, 
  the 
  feeble 
  proof 
  that 
  

   we 
  give 
  by 
  weighing 
  bodies 
  in 
  a 
  balance 
  in 
  different 
  positions 
  

   with 
  respect 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  cannot 
  be 
  accepted 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale. 
  

   When 
  we 
  can 
  tear 
  the 
  sun 
  into 
  two 
  portions 
  and 
  prove 
  that 
  

   either 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  halves 
  attracts 
  half 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  the 
  whole, 
  

   then 
  we 
  shall 
  have 
  a 
  proof 
  worth 
  mentioning. 
  

  

  Then 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  relation 
  of 
  gravitation 
  and 
  time 
  what 
  can 
  we 
  

   say? 
  Can 
  we 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  suppose 
  that 
  two 
  bodies 
  moving 
  

   through 
  space 
  with 
  great 
  velocities 
  have 
  their 
  gravitation 
  unal- 
  

   tered 
  ? 
  I 
  think 
  not. 
  Neither 
  can 
  we 
  accept 
  Laplace's 
  proof 
  

   that 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  gravitation 
  acts 
  instantaneously 
  through 
  

   space, 
  for 
  we 
  can 
  readily 
  imagine 
  some 
  compensating 
  features 
  

   unthought 
  of 
  by 
  Laplace. 
  

  

  How 
  little 
  we 
  know 
  then 
  of 
  this 
  law 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  under 
  

   observation 
  for 
  two 
  hundred 
  years 
  ! 
  

  

  Then 
  as 
  to 
  matter 
  itself 
  how 
  have 
  our 
  views 
  changed 
  and 
  

   how 
  are 
  they 
  constantly 
  changing. 
  The 
  round 
  hard 
  atom 
  of 
  

   IS^ewton 
  which 
  God 
  alone 
  could 
  break 
  into 
  pieces 
  has 
  become 
  

   a 
  molecule 
  composed 
  of 
  many 
  atoms, 
  and 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  smaller 
  

   atoms 
  has 
  become 
  so 
  elastic 
  that 
  after 
  vibrating 
  100,000 
  times 
  

   its 
  amplitude 
  of 
  vibration 
  is 
  scarcely 
  diminished. 
  It 
  has 
  be- 
  

   come 
  so 
  complicated 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  vibrate 
  with 
  as 
  many 
  thousand 
  

   notes. 
  We 
  cover 
  the 
  atom 
  with 
  patches 
  of 
  electricity 
  here 
  

   and 
  there 
  and 
  make 
  of 
  it 
  a 
  system 
  compared 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  

   planetary 
  system, 
  nay 
  the 
  universe 
  itself, 
  is 
  simplicity. 
  Nay 
  

   more 
  : 
  some 
  of 
  ns 
  even 
  claim 
  the 
  power, 
  which 
  Newton 
  attri- 
  

   buted 
  to 
  God 
  alone, 
  of 
  breaking 
  the 
  atom 
  into 
  smaller 
  pieces 
  

   whose 
  size 
  is 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  imagination. 
  Where, 
  then, 
  is 
  that 
  person 
  

   who 
  ignorantly 
  sneers 
  at 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  matter 
  as 
  a 
  material 
  and 
  

   gross 
  study 
  ? 
  Where, 
  again, 
  is 
  that 
  man 
  with 
  gifts 
  so 
  God-like 
  

   and 
  mind 
  so 
  elevated 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  attack 
  and 
  solve 
  its 
  problem? 
  

  

  To 
  all 
  matter 
  we 
  attribute 
  two 
  properties, 
  gravitation 
  and 
  

   inertia. 
  Without 
  these 
  two 
  matter 
  cannot 
  exist. 
  The 
  great- 
  

   est 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  laws 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  gravitational 
  

   attraction 
  is 
  proportional 
  to 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  This 
  law 
  

   of 
  Newton, 
  almost 
  neglected 
  in 
  the 
  thoughts 
  of 
  physicists, 
  

   undoubtedly 
  has 
  vast 
  import 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  deepest 
  meaning. 
  

   Shall 
  it 
  mean 
  that 
  all 
  matter 
  is 
  finally 
  constructed 
  of 
  uniform 
  

  

  