Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-12-07
aaiseellansuus geaains.
NEW CONCEPTION OF MATTER.
Energy Stored In Every Substance
and Kent Under Restraint.

and Kept Under Restraint.
The most interesting part of Sir.
| ]. Thomson's address to the British
association, perhaps, says the Londor
Globe, is that which relates to the new
conception of matter necessitated by
recent discoveries. The great advan
tage Of the electrical method Of study
ing the properties Of matter is that ar
electrified particle is easily identified
while an unchanged one is most elu'
sive. Thus it is pointed out that the
number Of molecules In the smalles
quantity Of the element neon which
can be identified by the spectroscope
is about 1000 times the population OF
the earth. On the other hand, Ruth
erford has shown that single alpha
particle from radium, that is single
charged atom Of helium, can be de-
tected by electrical methods. The
smallest quantity Of helium which
could be detected otherwise would con-
tain a million million atoms.
and it has been found possible to make
some estimate Of the size of these parts
of the 'indivisible." Negative electri-
city is atomic in its structure, being
made up of electrons, or "corpuscles
as Sir ]. ]. Thompson prefers to call
them. The mass Of this electrical unit
Is only enth-hundredth
part of the atom Of hydrogen. 1t per-
haps conveys a clearer idea to say that
'the volume of a corpuscle bears to
that of the atom about the same rela-
ton to that of a speck Of dust to the
volume Of this room"
If it may be supposed that negative
electricity is atomic in its structure, is
it not to be expected that positive elec-
tricity is so also? The lack Of evidence
that this is so has hitherto been diff
flculty in the electrical theory Of mat
ter. Now, however, Sir ]. ]. Thomson
thinks there is evidence Of the atomic
nature Of positive electricity. The
positive particles, known as canal
strahlen," discovered by DR.. Goldstein,
are found to be the same from what
ever rareied gas they are derived.
From this it is assumed that the atoms
of the different elements contain def
mite units of positive as we'll as OF
negative electricity.
But the evidence seems to show that
the order of magnitude Of the positive
unit is vastly greater than that Of the
negative. The only positive units yet
discovered are as large as atoms Of hy-
,drogen. And the energy stored up in
the negative corpuscles is far greater
than that in the positive. And this
gives rise to an interesting suggestion
made by Sir ]. ]. Thomson in the
course Of his address. The positive
particles may have been originally as
small, and as richly endowed with en-
ergy, as the others. In the course of
ages they may have expanded to their
present size, with consequent loss of
energy There may, however, still be
some Of the smaller ones lingering in
the radioactive substances, and it is
perhaps by the explosion Of these that
the energy of radiation is produced.
The energy stored up in ordinary
matter on the electron theory is enor-
nous. Assuming that each atom of
hydrogen contained only one corpuscle
and the probable number is several
hundred-then one grain Of it would
contain as much energy as that pro-
duced by burning five tons Of coal.
And all ordinary matter contains this
vast store Of energy kept fast bound
by the corpuscles. If any appreciable
fraction Of this were at any time to es-
cape. it is pointed out, that the earth
would explode and become a gaseous
nebula.