Aether and Gravitation Part 25

For if we take a line of force, composed as it is of aetherial vortex atoms, and suppose them to be rotating, we know that by that rotation there will be a tension due to that rotation, and Maxwell has shown this tension is due to magnetism, as in his standard work he says: "This magnetic force is the effect of the Centrifugal Force of the Vortices."

So that by postulating a rotatory movement for the Aether around the sun, as we have done in Art. 92, we have not only solved the problem of all planetary and solar magnetism, but we have also solved the problem of the relative motion of the Aether and the earth, and also given for the first time (though it may be in an incomplete form) a physical explanation of that part of the electro-magnetic theory of light, which has. .h.i.therto been unexplained from the purely physical standpoint.

Such results, therefore, supported as they are by the direct experiment of Michelson and Morley of America, justify us in concluding that the conception of a rotating Aether is not only philosophically correct, but is in actual accord with experimental investigation and research, as indeed it ought to be.

CHAPTER X

AETHER AND NEWTON'S LAWS OF MOTION

ART. 96. _Centrifugal Force._--Before proceeding to apply some of the principles and laws which govern the electro-magnetic aetherial medium to solar and stellar phenomena, it will be as well just to review the conception of our new aetherial Centrifugal Force, so that we may form a right view of it in its completeness and entirety.

In Art. 11 we premised that there was in existence another force, which was the exact opposite of the centripetal force, and that this force was the complementary and counterpart of the centripetal force or Gravitation Attraction; and further, that this force was due to the motion of the universal Aether which filled all s.p.a.ce.

In Art. 13 we saw that all force resolved itself into energy of some kind, the same being due either to potential energy, _i. e._ energy of position, or to kinetic energy, which is the energy belonging to matter actually in motion. From Art. 56 we learned that all energy was energy of motion, so that all force resolves itself into motion of some kind.

Thus our term Centrifugal Force really implies, and demands, a motion of the Aether which is ever directed away from the centre of gravity of any body, whether that body be an atom or molecule, satellite or planet, sun or star. From the phenomena of heat we have seen that there exists a repulsive motion, due to the aetherial medium, which is ever exerted from the central body of any atomic, planetary or stellar system, that repulsive motion being due to the pressure of the universal Aether, which not only surrounds all atoms, but also surrounds all other bodies in the universe.

From the phenomena of light we have also seen that the Aether possesses a repulsive or centrifugal motion, which is also due to the pressure of the same Aether as mathematically proved by Maxwell, and experimentally proved by Prof. Lebedew, and Nichols and Hull of America. Further, from the phenomena of electricity, we have also seen that there exists this centrifugal motion, due to the pressure of the same aetherial medium, which pressure is ever directed away from the electrified body, as the sun or planets.

So that from these three phases of the universal Aether, that is, from its thermal or heat manifestation, its luminiferous or light manifestation, and its electro-magnetic manifestation, we get irrefutable evidence of the existence of a centrifugal motion, which motion is ever directed away from the central body; and the result of that motion takes the form of a pressure upon any body with which the motion comes into contact.

Again, it was premised, that such a centrifugal force or motion must fulfil all the laws which governed the centripetal force or motion.

First, it had to be universal (Art. 19). Second, it had to follow exactly the same path as the centripetal force or motion, which was that of a straight line joining the centre of gravity of two bodies, as for example the earth and the sun (Art. 20). Third, the centrifugal force or motion must be equal to the product of the ma.s.ses, in the same way that the centripetal force was governed by such a law (Art. 21). Fourth, its intensity was to be governed by the law of inverse squares, the same as the centripetal force or Gravitation Attraction was governed (Art. 22).

Now all these conditions are satisfactorily fulfilled, and have been shown to be satisfactorily fulfilled, from the phenomena of heat, light, and electricity in their relation to the universal Aether. For in Art.

43 we saw that the Aether was universal, and therefore if the centrifugal motion is produced and originated by the Aether, then such motions must be as universal as that medium, which under qualifying conditions gives rise to these motions.

From Arts. 65 and 76 we have learned that the path of this centrifugal motion is that of a straight line, and follows exactly the same path that the centripetal force of gravity takes. In Art. 85 we learned that the centrifugal force between any two bodies was equal to the product of their ma.s.ses, which is exactly the same as the centripetal force that exists between any two bodies; and, lastly, from the phenomena of heat, light, and electricity we learned that the intensity of this centrifugal motion due to aetherial pressure was inversely as the square of the distance, which is the law governing the intensity of its counterpart, the centripetal force. Thus we have learned that there is in existence throughout universal s.p.a.ce, a physical force or motion due to a physical medium, the universal Aether, which force or motion is the exact opposite of the centripetal force or Gravitation Attraction, which may be stated as follows--

Every particle in the universe repels every other particle with a force whose direction is in the line joining the centres of gravity of the two bodies, and whose magnitude is directly as the product of their ma.s.ses, and inversely as the square of the distance between them, at their mean distances.

We shall see that it is by the conjoint working of these two forces, the Centripetal and Centrifugal, in combination with other motions of the Aether, that the harmonious working of the whole celestial mechanism is maintained and perpetuated. In confirmation of the existence of the centrifugal force, I should like to draw the attention of the reader to certain phenomena relative to the solar system, which phenomena violate the centripetal force as at present recognized, and can alone be accounted for by the existence of another force or motion existing in s.p.a.ce, such as the centrifugal motion already proved and demonstrated.

We know that the law governing the centripetal force, or Gravitation Attraction, is regulated by the product of the ma.s.ses of the two attracting bodies. So that if there were three bodies in s.p.a.ce whose ma.s.ses are respectively represented by 2, 3 and 100, the proportion of the attractive force of gravitation between the largest and the other two, would be 200 (100 2) and 300 (100 3) respectively. So that if the centripetal force, or the Attraction of Gravitation, is the only governing force in the universe, then it naturally follows that the two bodies, between which the attractive force is greater, will be closer together than the two bodies between which the attractive force is less.

Thus the two bodies, whose product of their ma.s.ses is represented by 300, will, according to the Law of Gravitation, be closer together than the two bodies, the product of whose ma.s.ses is represented by only 200.

Unless this is so, we should have a violation of the Law of Gravitation, and it would at once cease to be a law.

Let us therefore apply the centripetal force, or Gravitation Attraction, to the solar system, and see how it works out. The law strictly defined is given in Art. 18, from which we learn that the attractive force between two bodies is as the product of their ma.s.ses. Now what are the ma.s.ses of some of the bodies in the solar system?

We find that the sun, with its diameter of 865,000 miles, is about 324,000 times greater in ma.s.s than our earth, so that it would take about 324,000 bodies of the size and density of our earth to equal a body of the size and density of the sun. It has been calculated, however, by Von Asten, from observations made on comets by the planet Mercury, that the ma.s.s of Mercury is about 1/24 of the ma.s.s of the Earth. Therefore the ma.s.s of the sun must exceed the ma.s.s of Mercury 324,000 24 = 7,776,000; the exact relation according to Von Asten is 7,636,440. Again, the planet Jupiter, with its diameter of 85,000 miles and its density of 138, is only 1/1048 part of the ma.s.s of the sun, so that it would take about 1048 Jupiters to equal the ma.s.s of the sun, therefore Jupiter must weigh about 7400 times the ma.s.s of Mercury.

If the ma.s.s of Mercury, therefore, be represented by 1, the ma.s.s of the Earth would be represented by 24, the ma.s.s of Jupiter by 7400, and the ma.s.s of the sun by 7,636,400. So that the attractive forces between the planets as regards their ma.s.ses only will be represented numerically as follows--

Sun and Mercury 7,636,400 1 = 7,636,400.

Sun and Earth 7,636,400 24 = 190,008,000.

Sun and Jupiter 7,636,400 7,400 = 56,435,360,000.

Thus we see that the attractive force between the sun and the earth exceeds 24 times the attractive force between the sun and Mercury, while the attractive force of gravity between the sun and Jupiter is 7400 times greater than the attractive force between the sun and Mercury, relative to their ma.s.ses.

Therefore, according to the Law of Gravity, as regards the ma.s.ses of bodies, Jupiter and the sun should be nearer together than Mercury and the sun, because their attractive powers are greater, and the earth and the sun should be nearer together than Mercury and the sun, because their joint attractive powers are also greater. In the same way it can be proved that all the other planets whose ma.s.ses are greater than Mercury ought, according to the Law of Gravity in regard to ma.s.ses only, to be nearer to the sun than what Mercury is, simply because the total attractive forces between any two are greater than the attractive force between Mercury and the sun.

The respective ma.s.ses of the planets compared with the sun, taking the ma.s.s of the sun as unity, are as follows--

Jupiter 1/1,048 of ma.s.s of sun.

Saturn 1/3,529 " "

Neptune 1/18,520 " "

Ura.n.u.s 1/22,020 " "

Earth 1/324,439 " "

Venus 1/397,000 " "

Mars 1/2,994,790 " "

Mercury 1/7,636,440 " "

Therefore, if the total attractive force of gravity is equal to the product of the ma.s.ses of any two bodies, then the planets ought to be in the following order in relation to their distance from the sun: Jupiter, first, followed by Saturn, Neptune, Ura.n.u.s, Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury; that being the order in which the attractive power of gravity is regulated by their respective ma.s.ses.

Yet the very opposite is nearly the case, as we find that some of the further planets, as Jupiter, Saturn, Ura.n.u.s and Neptune, possess greater ma.s.ses than any of the nearer planets; so that here we have a distinct violation of the Law of Gravitation Attraction, which states that the attraction between any two bodies is directly as the product of their ma.s.ses, because we find certain bodies with greater attracting powers further away from the sun, than other planets possessing less attracting powers, because of their smaller ma.s.ses. I cannot recall having ever read of any explanation which has been given for such an anomaly, and indeed this apparent violation admits of no other explanation than the conception of the dual character of the so-called Law of Universal Gravitation, which includes a repelling or repulsive force or motion, such motion being due to the pressure of the universal Aether.

Thus in the light of the centrifugal motion, combined with the fact that Aether is gravitative, by which each body possesses an aetherial atmosphere and electrical equivalent proportionate to its ma.s.s, it can be demonstrated within a reasonable limit how it is that such planets as Jupiter, Saturn, Ura.n.u.s, Neptune, possessing aetherial atmospheres and electrical equivalents proportionate to their ma.s.ses, revolve in orbits round the sun at much greater distances than Mercury, Venus, the Earth, or Mars. This explanation will follow as we consider the Centrifugal Force and the Centripetal Force in their relation to Newton's Laws of Motion.

ART. 97. _Centripetal Force._--We have now to apply the Centripetal Force, together with the new Aetherial Centrifugal Force, to the solar system, and show that by their conjoint working taken in conjunction with the motions of the Aether, all celestial phenomena may be satisfactorily explained on a physical basis, in a similar way that Newton proved the same result from the mathematical standpoint.

We saw in Art. 10 that the centripetal force was really none other than the Attraction of Gravitation, in that it always acted to a centre, and in no other way, and therefore by the centripetal force for the present we must understand is meant the attractive power of Gravitation.

Afterwards, when it has been demonstrated that the centripetal force and the new aetherial centrifugal force can account for all celestial phenomena, then we shall be in a position to show what the physical cause of the centripetal force is.

Let us again refer to the centripetal force, so that we may see exactly what its governing conditions are. In Art. 18 we learned that this force might be thus expressed: "Every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force whose direction is that of a line joining their centres of gravity, and whose magnitude is directly as the product of their ma.s.ses, and inversely as the square of the distance between them." Now we have seen from the previous Art. that the centrifugal force due to the pressure of the Aether medium is the exact counterpart of this, in every way, so that if we combine the two, we get the complete statement of the universal law which governs all matter, and which we may define as follows--

"Every particle in the universe attracts and repels every other particle in the universe with a force whose direction is that of a line joining their centres of gravity, and whose magnitude is directly as the product of their ma.s.ses, and inversely as the square of the distance between them." This complete law, however, only holds good when the two forces are in equilibrium.

With this conception of the universal law which governs all matter, the harmony and stability of the universe becomes possible from the physical standpoint. Apart from this conjoint working of the two forces or motions, a physical explanation of Universal Gravitation is impossible, as with one force operating only throughout the universe, ultimate stability is inconceivable, and the harmony of the spheres might at any time be suddenly destroyed.

With this conception of the universal law which governs all matter, the great Law of Gravitation is brought into harmony with all experience and observation. Look where we will, or at what we will, there we find forces possessing a dual character, as we have already seen proved.

Professor Tyndall, as we have already learned (Art. 63), definitely states that the stability of atomic systems is preserved by the existence and operation of _two forces, one attractive and the other repulsive_, and what is true of the atomic world is equally true of solar or stellar worlds. Thus for the first time in this respect, our philosophy agrees with our experience, and the true relation of the centrifugal force or motion to the centripetal force is made manifest.

So that, wherever in the solar system the centripetal force or Gravitation Attraction operates, there, with exactly equal intensity and power, the aetherial centrifugal force operates, at the respective mean distances of the planets and satellites, where the two forces are in equilibrium.