, 1880-07-04
rur uarnRE OF MATTER

Prof, William Cro0kes, OF Lolidoh' Eur
gland i. 10 we'll known as q patient investl-
oator of the nature of matter. lie has been
for wears past studying the subject as es
pec;aliy experimenting On the most dlltusea
conditions attainable, as key to the long
dreamed-of "fourth form'; that is, form
OF matter that is neither solid, liquid, nor
gaseous. He has recently been attempting
to explain his idea Of the correlations OF these
states Of material existence, but has really
succeeded in throwing as little light upon
the topic as did the college freshman under
examination:
What is mind? No matter.
Whit is matter? Never mind
Nevertheless the speculations OF Prof.
Cro5kcs are Of considerable interest, IT only
in helping us to see how very little we know
Of that which is all around us and coilsai-
tutcs all that is tangible Of ourselves. Illere
is logical method in the presentation OF Ills
views which commenls them to the reason.
Of course lie takes it for granted that malter
Is made up of molecules, and concludes that
the molecules are the whole OF matter,
though forming but very small part ol
what is usually called matter. They are
s,1ndered by spaces very wide In comparison
with themselves but that space IS no more
entitled to be called matter than tile air
traversed by a rine-bul1et has a right to De
called lead. In solid matter the molecules
move. but do not travel from one
part to another; they retain hxlty
Of position about their centres OF
oscillation. The movement Of the molecu1e
is, however, large in proportion to its diam
r..I ,1o tbo f.f cohesion FRFV
much reduced; and the fxity of position OF
the centres Of oscillation is destroyed when
artificially heated, the fnter-moecular move
,uents increase as the temperature rises, and
Mt last (under sufficient heat) the cohesion Is
broken, the molecules flying of into space
with enormous velocities. The "body' is
now a gas. Its molecules fly about in every
conceivable direction; they exert pressure Ill
nil directions: and would fly off into space
were it not for the attraction OF gravltatlon.
Each molecule has millions of encounters
with otlar molecules in each second Of time;
and the gaseous state is prominently
state depending Oh collisions. by great
rarefaction the free path of these molecules Is
made so long that the ''hits" In given time
| may be disregarded in comparison with the
misses; in which case the average molecule
! is allowed to obeyIts own motions or laws
| without interference. The same condition
! NAV be obtained if by some extrancous force
we can cause the molecules Of q quantity OF
e!as to make 1nethodicaI linear movement,
| avoiding the apparently dlsorderly 1ostling
which seems to be the distinctive property
of ,as molecules. Such methodical move
ment has been induced in experiments with
tho radiometer; and such u motion has re-
| GENTLY been made visible In the researches OF
Prof. Crookes on the negative discharge i'll
vacuum tubes. When, by either OF these
means, the molecules Of a gas cease to col
ljde thew pass into the fourth. or radiant
form OF matter.
The widely different states OF matter, from
the lowest to the highest. are therefore only
phenomena due to variations in the move
ments Of molecules, which themselves are
almost inconceiyable as entities. That is,
the only true matter is intangible and inyis-
ible. We cannot even infer whether it be
solid, liquid, or gaseous; in fact, great diff
culties lie in the way of supposing it to be
either OF these. It is left to be inferred that
matter is only mode Of motion; for we can
scarcely conceive Of what would be left il
motion should cease. At the absolute zero
OF Temperature {about 460 degrees below the
Fahrenheit zero) the intermolecular move
ment would stop; and, although something
retaining the properties Of weight and 1nertl:
would remain, matter, as we know it, woult
cease to exist The quantity Of space occu-
pied by this residual something would prob,
ably be infinitesimh. Possibly all the mate
rial that composes our solar system Of world:
would take up no more room than billiard
ball