1904 - 5 .] Mr J. Fraser on Electricity based on Bubble Atom. 715 
atomic volume is because the latter is proportional to the square of 
the speed of the particles multiplied by their number ; and since 
the acceptance of new motion by these same particles is less as the 
square of the speed is greater, the resistance must be as the square 
of the speed, or as the atomic volume. 
40. This is as far as I have explored this puzzling subject ; I 
have done no more than merely glanced at magnetism, and can 
offer no solution of it at present. The phenomena of radio-active 
bodies seem to confirm my idea that atoms are formed of smaller 
bodies ; and if I might hazard a, perhaps, wild guess, it is that the 
atom may get broken up into its constituents, or possibly form smaller 
ones, by an intensely negative charge which would suddenly take 
away a great proportion of the motion of the particles, and the 
heat vibrations still persisting, as they would do, this, with the 
sudden collapse of the atom, might very well break it up. I have 
not studied this part of the subject, so I shall say no more about it 
at present. Perhaps I have already said too much. 
Before closing I should like to correct an unaccountable error in 
my paper on the “ Constitution of Matter.” On page 39, line 24, 
I wrote “normal” where I meant “tangential.” 
One of the strongest points in favour of this theory, which I 
have not before expressed in words, is the fact that, when 
elementary substances unite to form compounds, the resulting 
compound is altogether different in all its qualities and properties 
from either of the constituents. This theory, in my opinion, 
accounts exactly for this ; for according to it a union of two or 
more of my hypothetical atoms altogether alters their constitution, 
by imparting speed to the particles and consequent volume to the 
atoms of one or more of the constituents at the expense of less 
speed and volume to others of the compound. Moreover, it seems 
to show that chemical affinity is altogether an electrical pheno- 
menon — how that some kinds of atoms with more electricity than 
others “ attract ” one another as positive and negative bodies. 
[ Table of Calculated Electrical Resistances . 
