The Washington herald., 1922-06-03
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Scientific
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SATURDAY. JUNE 3. 1872.

ALL NATTER
MADE OF TWO UNITS.
A new picture OF the element, e.
being painted Two simple units.
the positive and the negative cleo
tron' are the only components OF
the rhyriads Of complicated sub
stances in the world about Us. Dr.
w. X. Whitney. director. research
laboratory. General Electric Com
pany. In publication Of the Fn.
cheering Foundation just issued.
explains mans new conception .,
stun and the simplification Of the
idea Of seventy or eighty distinct
atoms.
such names as electrons ana
atomic structure do not convey 20
the mind Inherent relationship with
radio. radium and X-rays. bu, /.
proper view OF matter as IL is now
understood can most readily he pie.
tured by getting the connection
among some such group Of present.
. ai-y subjects. says DIR. Whitney W.
ae now forced to look al All mat
Ter as composed Of Identical snsu
electrical charges. which de,er,,i,s
9 the nature OF chemical elements ara
. compounds by their numbers ara
arranRements. An aton-the ul,i-
mate particle Of a particular sun
siance-becomes more Ike a sorar
system than like q SOLID Tba
volume Of the atomic space is main
ly unoccupied. but through II tho
forces act which are attributabls -
electric charges within.
Becquerel, who found that a cer-
tain uranium ore emitted an IN
( visible ray capable Of passing
I through black paper and stilI sTer.-
3 Ing a Photographic plate. was part
ly responsible for our new views
Soon afterward the Curies dssrH,--
cred radium. and this was shown
1 later TO be a naturally dec0rrur--
ing atom. Several other decsy.r,-
elements were also found Dur
ing decomposition small elec,-. ~
quantities were continually d.
charged
similar discharges had az ..r
been observed in other fiel-s
were not understood For exa-rr-..
when the filament Of 4 la-- =
feated in a high vacuum necs-5..
q ectrical charges are enitteG a-r
current thus crosses the e-.-.,.
space. This had early been motel
by Edison. IL was not until a.t.r
discovery Of radium that the ;ru-
ature OF these "electrons" was per.
ceived.
When these little units Of mega
i've electricity flow within a wlrel
theE constitute the electric curr,r IL
men, by high temperature. tn,vI
are emitted from a metal. thev 10
nsa~ a.
through a gas with sufficient ye
!ocitY. their impacts decumposy
molecules. and the greatly aug
rented fow Of the resulting chargr n
PARTICLES produce the common elecl
trlc arc. When they flow through
"a racuous space. under the influence
OF high electric force. they ar
called cathode rays. When thail
hotion is stopped by impact in thl
surface Of solid. the sudderI
,change OF motion starts an electro
magnetic wave-an N-ray Iiust q
drum beat sets up a sound uavl
IN air). and when they surge "A
and down a wireless antennae. they1
produce the long wireless wave
through space.
when constituent electron, al
arranged in the groups called
aN'Iis' all properties seem detern
ihed merely by geography. nr orien
taiion. Apparently such old es,ah
'lshed things as chemical srtfysry
ahd Valence are due to the nu,nbe j
'f electrons which occupy the out 4
surfaces Of the groups The shoot
ing electrons of the cathode -
stopped by the platinum or tvr-l
Nt'n target. produce the Ma, )
winch by reflection n crysta'rfzsd
, matter. disclose its atomic a--a-.s
ment and thus lead 10 better ,,d.-
. 2nding OF many physical p-oDs
: ties
H.n"e decomposinC elements er-,,
eiectrons. since heat drives ~.
from hlamc7ts. since gases ana q
yie'd them on impact n aIr,. sj-.
statically charged ho6i,s carr. 49,,
and lose them CAS- a car Gins
loses Passengers. il is lCr5-.. ~
,, all electric currents are artrtt-,-a
10 their motion. all static .5s g.
/. To differences in concentration. an
all matter to balanced Combination
Of them.