The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-25
MEASURE FORCE
Which HOLDS The
ATOMS TOGETHER
Princeton Man Uses Test
by Electric Current

ny AICSlElO ~ON 4 Cit
Editors Note. The following
article on the recent discovery by
Princeton University professor of
method of measuring the forces
holding the atom together appeared
in a late issue of a christian
science paper. Curiously enough,
this newspaper often contains
valuable news items relating to
scientific advancement tho the
movement of which it is the ex-
ponent holds there is no material
worldly
PRINCENTON, N. j., - One more
barrier has been removed from an un-
derstanding of the invisible universe
of the atom by a Princeton University
natural scientist, according to an an
nouncement made at the university.
The forces within the atom, which
hold together the protons and cleo
retrospective and negative charges
of electricity Of which all matter is
composed-for the first time had been
measured directly and correlated with
atomic theory in the Palmer Physical
Laboratory by Dr. Karl T. Compton,
professor of physics, and his asso-
ciates, the announcement said.
This has been done by obtaining
exact, quantitative information re-
garding the energy in the various
states of activity in the hydrogen
atom-the only atom for which an ap-
parently complete mechanical picture
has been developed.
DR.. Compton's experiments confirm
the theoretical explanation of the COM
position of the atom made by the
Danish physicist Bohr, which has been
the subject of debate between chem
lists and physicists, and hitherto not
confirmed by direct measurements.
Princeton physicists believe these
experiments will assist in understand
ing more exactly the conditions of in
ternal activity in substances under
which chemical changes take place,
and hence make it possible to manip-
ulate chemicals with greater assur-
ance of obtaining desired results.
DR.. Crompton's experiments confirm
the theory that each hydrogen atom
is like an inconceivably small solar
system, in the center of which is
positive charge of electricity, the pro-
ton. with a negative charge, or cleo
iron, revolving about it.
When an external electron charge
strikes the atom, additional energy is
given the electron and it revolves
in a larger orbit. When still greater
electrical energy is brought to bear
upon it, the electron jumps out into
a yet larger orbit, and the atom reach
es its maximum state of excited acti-
witty when the electron is knocked off.
The experiments of DR.. Compton
and his associates show that it is in
changing from one state of activity
to another that the atom emits light
waves which form its spectrum.
To perform the experiments it was
necessary to split the hydrogen
molecule, which contains two atoms,
into its separate atoms. This was
done by putting hydrogen gas in
tungsten metal tube and heating it to
$500 degrees, centigrade, then an cleo
trical current of electrons was taken
from hot filament, similar to the
filament in radio tube. speeded up
by applying voltage, and shot thru
the hot Tungsten tuhe
The energy of these electrons was
measured by their voltage. As the
speed of the electrons was increased
nothing happened up to a certain
point, the hydrogen atoms being I'M
der continual bombardment
Then suddenly the hydrogen atoms
began to emit radiation of a definite
wave length measured by spectrum
showing only one line. This was in
terpreted as meaning that the hydro
gen atom had been changed from its
normal state to its first excited state
Voltage again was increased until a
second line was seen in the spectrum,
indicating the second excited state Of
the atom as described by Bohr. The
voltage applied being translated into
'erms OF atomic energy checked exact
ly with the picture worked out by the
Danish physicist.