Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-11
ELECTRICITY A SUBSTANCE.
Generation Consists in Splitting Elec-
irons from Atoms.

From the London Electrician.
The generation of electricity" consists in
splitting off an electron from the atom. The
electron then produces a stress in the ether
similar to that due to negatively" charg-
ed body. The remainder of the atom acts
as positively charged body, though
we do not know as yet whether
the positive charge is due to a spe-
ciai positive eiectron or not If it is, We
have not yet succeeded in isolating the
positive electron. but it is supposed to be
about ten times heavier than the negative
electron. In any case We have here an
elementary negative charge of about one
ten-billonth of the absolute unit and an
elementary positive charge of the same
amount. These elementary charges attract
each other and repel similar charges. They
i can associate with clusters of neutral par
tfcles. negative electron thus associated
with ordinary matter becomes a negative
ion and positive electron becomes a
positive ion" Conduction consists in the
wandering of positive ions down the poten-
tial gradient and of negative ions up the
potential gradient.
This wandering can take place in metals.
1t then produces heat by collision with the
molecules of the metal, and a magnetic
field by the motion of the charges. In a
liquid, the energy of motion is consumed In
the splitting up or ''ionizaztion' of neutral
molecules. Every current of heat is asso-
ciated with transportation of ions, and
here the whole field of thermo-electricity
Is entered. In the vacuum-tube ions move
with less restraint Negative electrons are
shot Off from the cathode with the velocity
of light. or something very nearly ap-
preaching 1t, and where they strike upon a
solid they produce explosive ether waves Of
remarkable penetrating power which are
known as ROentgen rays Where they hit
gaseous particles they ioniZe them, and in
doing so develop great heat and light thus
giving rise to the whole fascinating vista
of vacuum discharges.
Nor is their wonderful activity confined
to the fields enumerated for the whole
phenomena Of ma gnetism are based upon
the electron. Whenever an atom has a high
valency, such iron, cobalt or nickel it
appears that the free electrons which con-
Stitute these valencieS revolve around the
rest of the atom. These revolutions pro-
duce whirls in the ether which are known
as magnetic diSplacementS or stresses, or
Lines of force" and whenever a "conduc-
tor l. e., body containing freely movable
ions (Say one for every five thousand neu-
trail atoms Dis moved through these whirls,
the ions are set moving in opposite diree-
lions with velocity of about one cent?
meter per second, and We have the whole
phenomena of induced currents.
The enormous rapidity of the magnetic
revolutions may be judged from their prob
able period. which is about one-trillionth of
a second. In the electric arc we have not
only great exchange of opposite IONS but
this ionizing action of ultraviolet light
and Elster and Geitel have shown how this
fonization action al ultraviolet light may
lead to the calculation of all the problems
of atmospheric electricity. The latest in
formation, as recently supplied by us. goes
to show that ionfzation Is constantly going
on wherever there h matter. and that some