97]

MOLECULAR CONSTITUTION OF AIR.

43

the quantity of fluid in different bodies agrees very well with those propositions, on a supposition that the electric repulsion is inversely as the square of the distance. It should also seem from those experiments, that the quantity of redundant or deficient fluid in two bodies bore very nearly the same proportion to each other, whatever is the shape of the canal by which they are joined, or in whatever direction they are situated in respect of each other.

96] Though the above propositions should be found not to hold good when the bodies are joined by real canals, still it is evident, that in the 22nd proposition, if the plates AB and DF are very near together, the quantity of redundant fluid in the plate AB will be many times greater than that in the body H, supposing H to consist of a circular plate of the same size as AB, and DF will be near as much undercharged as AB is overcharged.

97] Sir Isaac Newton supposes that air consists of particles which repel each other with a force inversely as the distance: but it appears plainly from the foregoing pages, that if the repulsion of the particles was in this ratio; and extended indefinitely to all distances, they would compose a fluid extremely different from common air. If the repulsion of the particles was inversely as the distance, but extended only to a given very small distance from their centers, they would compose a fluid of the same kind as air, in respect of elasticity, except that its density would not be in proportion to its compression: if the distance to which the repulsion extends, though very small, is yet many times greater than the distance of the particles from each other, it might be shewn, that the density of the fluid would be nearly as the square root of the compression. If the repulsion of the particles extended indefinitely, and was inversely as some higher power of the distance than the cube, the density of the fluid would be as some power of the compression less than . The only law of repulsion, I can think of, which will agree with experiment, is one which seems not very likely; namely, that the particles repel each other with a force inversely as the distance; but that, whether the density of the fluid is great or small, the repulsion extends only to the nearest particles: or, what comes to the same thing, that the distance to which the repulsion extends, is very small, and also is not fixed, but varies in proportion to the distance of the particles *.

[* Note 6.]

PART II.

CONTAINING A COMPARISON OF THE FOREGOING THEORY WITH EXPERIMENT.

98] § 1. IT appears from experiment, that some bodies suffer the electric fluid to pass with great readiness between their pores; while others will not suffer it to do so without great difficulty; and some hardly suffer it to do so at all. The first sort of bodies are called conductors, the others non-conductors. What this difference in bodies is owing to I do not pretend to explain.

It is evident that the electric fluid in conductors may be considered as moveable, or answers to the definition given of that term in page 6.' As to the fluid contained in non-conducting substances, though it does not absolutely answer to the definition of immoveable, as it is not absolutely confined from moving, but only does so with great difficulty; yet it may in most cases be looked upon as such without sensible error.

99] Air does in some measure permit the electric fluid to pass through it; though, if it is dry, it lets it pass but very slowly, and not without difficulty; it is therefore to be called a nonconductor.

It appears that conductors would readily suffer the fluid to run in and out of them, were it not for the air which surrounds them for if the end of a conductor is inserted into a vacuum, the fluid runs in and out of it with perfect readiness; but when it is surrounded on all sides by the air, as no fluid can run out of it without running into the air, the fluid will not do so without difficulty.

100] If any body is surrounded on all sides by the air, or other non-conducting substances, it is said to be insulated if on the

103]

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ELECTRIFICATION.

45

other hand it anywhere communicates with any conducting body, it is said to be not insulated. When I say that a body communicates with the ground, or any other body, I would be understood to mean that it does so by some conducting substance.

101] Though the terms positively and negatively electrified are much used, yet the precise sense in which they are to be understood seems not well ascertained; namely, whether they are to be understood in the same sense in which I have used the words over or undercharged, or whether, when any number of bodies, insulated and communicating with each other by conducting substances, are electrified by means of excited glass, they are all to be called positively electrified (supposing, according to the usual opinion, that excited glass contains more than its natural quantity of electricity); even though some of them, by the approach of a stronger electrified body, are made undercharged. I shall use the words in the latter sense; but as it will be proper to ascertain the sense in which I shall use them more accurately, I shall give the following definition.

102] In order to judge whether any body, as A, is positively or negatively electrified: suppose another body B, of a given shape and size, to be placed at an infinite distance from it, and from any other over or undercharged body; and let B contain the same quantity of electric fluid as if it communicated with A by a canal of incompressible fluid: then, if B is overcharged, I call A positively electrified; and if it is undercharged, I call A negatively electrified; and the greater the degree in which B is over or undercharged, the greater is the degree in which A is positively or negatively electrified.

103] It appears from the corollary to the 24th proposition, that if several bodies are insulated, and connected together by conducting substances, and one of these bodies is positively or negatively electrified, all the other bodies must be electrified in the same degree: for supposing a given body B to be placed at an infinite distance from any over or undercharged body, and to contain the same quantity of fluid as if it communicated with one of those bodies by a canal of incompressible fluid, all the rest of those bodies must by that corollary contain the same quantity of fluid as if they communicated with B by canals of incompressible fluid:

but yet it is possible that some of those bodies may be overcharged, and others undercharged: for suppose the bodies to be positively electrified, and let an overcharged body D be brought near one of them, that body will become undercharged, provided D is sufficiently overcharged; and yet by the definition it will still be positively electrified in the same degree as before.

Moreover, if several bodies are insulated and connected together by conducting substances, and one of these bodies is electrified by excited glass, there can be no doubt, I think, but what they will all be positively electrified; for if there is no other over or undercharged body placed near any of these bodies, the thing is evident; and though some of these bodies may, by the approach of a sufficiently overcharged body, be rendered undercharged; yet I do not see how it is possible to prevent a body placed at an infinite distance, and communicating with them by a canal of incompressible fluid, from being overcharged.

In like manner if one of these bodies is electrified by excited sealing wax, they will all be negatively electrified *.

104] It is impossible for any body communicating with the ground to be either positively or negatively electrified: for the earth, taking the whole together, contains just fluid enough to saturate it, and consists in general of conducting substances; and consequently though it is possible for small parts of the surface of the earth to be rendered over or undercharged, by the approach of electrified clouds or other causes; yet the bulk of the earth, and especially the interior parts, must be saturated with electricity. Therefore assume any part of the earth which is itself saturated, and is at a great distance from any over or undercharged part; any body communicating with the ground, contains as much electricity as if it communicated with this part by a canal of incompressible fluid, and therefore is not at all electrified.

105] If any body A, insulated and saturated with electricity, is placed at a great distance from any over or undercharged body, it is plain that it cannot be electrified; but if an overcharged body is brought near it, it will be positively electrified; for supposing A to communicate with any body B, at an infinite distance, by a canal of incompressible fluid, it is plain that unless B is overcharged, the fluid in the canal could not be in equilibrio, but would [* Note 7.]

108]

DIFFERENT CASES OF ATTRACTION.

47

run from A to B. For the same reason a body insulated and saturated with fluid, will be negatively electrified if placed near an undercharged body.

106] § 2. The phænomena of the attraction and repulsion of electrified bodies seem to agree exactly with the theory; as will appear by considering the following cases.

107] CASE I. Let two bodies, A and B, both conductors of electricity, and both placed at a great distance from any other electrified bodies, be brought near each other. Let A be insulated, and contain just fluid enough to saturate it; and let B be positively electrified. They will attract each other; for as B is positively electrified, and at a great distance from any overcharged body, it will be overcharged; therefore, on approaching A and B to each other, some fluid will be driven from that part of A which is nearest to B to the further part: but when the fluid in A was spread uniformly, the repulsion of B on the fluid in A was equal to its attraction on the matter therein; therefore, when some fluid is removed from those parts where the repulsion of B is strongest to those where it is weaker, B will repel the fluid in A with less force than it attracts the matter; and consequently the bodies will attract each other.

108] CASE II. If we now suppose that the fluid is at liberty to escape from out of A, if it has any disposition to do so, the quantity of fluid in it before the approach of B being still sufficient to saturate it; that is, if A is not insulated and not electrified, B being still positively electrified, they will attract with more force than before for in this case, not only some fluid will be driven from that part of A which is nearest to B to the opposite part, but also some fluid will be driven out of A.

Fig. 19.

It must be observed, that if the repulsion of B on a particle at E, (Fig. 19) the farthest part of A, is very small in respect of its repulsion on an equal particle placed at D, the nearest part of A, the two bodies will attract with very nearly the same force, whether A is insulated or not; but if the repulsion of B, on a particle at E, is very near as great

D

A

E

مراه

as on one at D, they will attract with very little force if A is