Return to Physics of the Ether

135. Amount of energy being dependent on the quantity of matter in motion and on the square of the velocity of motion, and since motion cannot come into existence spontaneously, or go out of existence spontaneously, but in accordance with the principle of conservation, the sum of energy must remain constant; it follows, therefore, that whenever there is a loss of motion by matter, there must be a simultaneous gain of motion by matter, or the loss and gain of motion must be simultaneous, for a loss of motion without a simultaneous gain of motion would involve for an interval of time an annihilation of energy.

It follows, therefore, as a necessary consequence from this, that the energy expended in any physical process whatever can be solely dependent on and due to motion simultaneously imparted, i,e. imparted at the time of the expenditure of the energy; for unless motion be imparted at the time, energy cannot be expended at all, for to expend motion without imparting motion would be to annihilate energy; indeed, the motion imparted is itself the measure of that expended, and is the sole cause of its expenditure, i.e. motion can only be expended in the communication of motion, and in that fact lies apparent the principle of the Indestructibility of Motion.

136. Physical processes accordingly consist in an interchange of motion. "Work," which admits of but one definition, consists, therefore, in every possible case in the communication of motion. "When the object is to check motion, a "resistance" is applied. A

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"resistance" has but one character, and consists in a means or adaptation for the transference of motion. It may serve, therefore, well to illustrate the principle of the indestructibility of motion, to note the fact that the very means applied to extinguish motion, or a "resistance" itself, is a direct means for communicating motion, or the only possible means of getting rid of motion is by communicating motion. The most effective railway brake, for example, is that through which, in a given time, the greatest amount of motion is communicated in the form of molecular motion ("heat").

137. Reverse Processes. — Since the amount of energy expended in any physical process is solely dependent on the amount of motion imparted at the time of the expenditure of the energy, it follows that the amount of energy interchanged in any physical process can have no necessary connection with the amount interchanged in another process, but the amount of energy interchanged in any physical process is dependent solely on the physical conditions involved in that process. Whether, therefore, two physical processes happened to be equivalent to each other or not would depend on the physical conditions involved in each.

In reverse physical processes generally, i.e. by the approach and recession of masses and molecules of matter, there is an obvious general similarity in the physical conditions, since the masses and molecules in the two reverse processes traverse precisely the same path, under the same circumstances. Hence it would be reason- able to expect a certain equivalence to exist in the quantities of energy interchanged in the two processes. There is, nevertheless, one important exception to the similarity of the physical conditions which we shall consider. Thus, for example, in the case of chemical decomposition and recomposition, when two vibrating molecules are moved from each other, the ether which resists the motion and upon which the work is done, is necessarily to a certain extent condensed, by an amount dependent on the velocity of recession of the molecules. Owing, therefore, to. the condensation, the number of particles to which motion is imparted is correspondingly increased, and accordingly the work done in separating the molecules is increased from this special cause. On the other hand, when two molecules are urged towards each other, the ether which does the work is (conversely) to a certain extent rarefied, since the movement of the molecules takes place in a direction from the portion of the ether which does the work. The number of particles in action being thereby reduced, the work done at the approach of the molecules is thereby reduced. Since, therefore, this special physical cause acts conversely in the two reverse processes, or contributes to increase the energy to be ex- pended at the separation of molecules, and to reduce the energy to be derived at the approach of molecules, and since, however slowly the motion of the molecules might take place, this physical cause

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must have its corresponding effect, it follows, therefore, that in mathematical strictness two reverse physical processes never can be equivalent. The degree of nearness of approach to actual equivalence would depend upon the relation existing between the normal velocity of the ether particles and the velocity with which the movements of matter in the reverse processes take place. Since the ether particles happen to have a high velocity, and the movements of molecules in chemical action are in no case comparable to the normal velocity of the ether particles, the two reverse processes must therefore approach nearly towards absolute equivalence, or the difference is not sufficient to have made itself observable. The accumulated differences of such processes, however, by continual repetition, in course of time must reach an important amount. The most likely case to attract the observation would be one where the motion takes place at a high speed and over long distances, as, for example, in the case of cosmical matter propelled by the action of the ether in " gravitation," where, on account of the long-continued action through great distances, the final speeds attained are much greater than in the case of molecules propelled by the action of the ether in " chemical action." It is a significant fact that comets in their alternate swing of approach and recession from the sun in their eccentric orbits, lose velocity, and shorten their paths by palpable amounts.

138. If by any device the performance of work on the ether at the recession of molecules could be avoided, then no expenditure of energy would be required in separating the molecules; just as, conversely, if the action of the ether at the approach of molecules could be prevented, no energy would be derived from the approach of molecules.

It is well to observe that the work done on the ether at the separation of molecules is completely useless work, serving no practical object whatever, since the motion thus imparted is carried off beyond all power of utilization; indeed, since whatever means be used to separate the molecules, whether through the intervention of heat or chemical agency, the ether (as the motive agent concerned in these two cases) itself does the work of separating the molecules, or the process is a cyclical one, consisting in the transference of motion from and to the ether; it is therefore clear that it would not affect the absolute sum of motion in the least if no such interchange of motion took place, or if the molecules were simply caused to recede from each other without the ether coming into action at all. This is, therefore, not a question affecting in any way theoretic principle, but simply a question as to the practicability of a device to avoid the performance of useless work; and if such a device were practicable, the components of the molecules of carbonic acid, for example, would separate without the performance of work, and the carbon would thus be available

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to be burnt a second time by the action of the ether. If this device were practicable, there would not be the slightest absolute gain of motion by it, for a mass of coal or carbon is simply a machine, and cannot evolve motion independently of a source of motion, or a mass of coal is simply a piece of mechanism for utilizing the motion of the ether, just as, for example, a waterwheel is a piece of mechanism for utilizing the motion of a stream; or all the motion developed at combustion, and imparted to the ether in the form of waves of heat, comes from the ether at the time of combustion, so that the process of combustion might be continued indefinitely without the slightest absolute gain of motion, or the interchange of motion constituting combustion is quite independent of the fact whether energy was expended in the previous act of separating the carbon or not. If the vibratory motion of molecules could be brought under control and thus be temporarily got rid of by utilization in any way, then the above result would be attained, or the molecules would separate without the performance of work; as we have before pointed out that there are certain considerations which would indicate that this result is actually attained in nature, in the disintegration of matter at a low temperature. Thus, for example, this result is actually attainable in the case of vibrating masses where the vibrations are under control.

If, for instance, we take the case of a vibrating mass, such as a tuning-fork maintained in vibration by some external source of power, just as a molecule is maintained in vibration by the ether waves emitted by the sun; then, if we suppose a piece of card to be placed near the fork, and the vibrations of the fork to be temporarily checked by any means, then the card may be separated or removed from the fork without the performance of work. If then, while the card is now at a certain distance from the fork, the latter be allowed again to vibrate, the card is attracted or urged towards the fork, and this separation of the card without the performance of work, and return of the card under the action of the air, whose moving molecules constitute the source of motion, might thus be repeated any number of times. Here, by a simple device, the performance of useless work in separating the card, or the performance of work in direct opposition to the source of motion (the air), is avoided. The same considerations apply in the case of vibrating molecules, the separation of which without the performance of useless work, or the performance of work in direct opposition to the source of motion (the ether), is a question merely depending on the practicability of the application of a device, and not a question affecting in any way theoretic principle.

139. The motion of a permanent source of motion can always be made available provided the machinery be applied and used in a proper manner. The machinery of nature for deriving motion from the ether all works on the simple reciprocating principle of approach and recession. A movement of approach must come to

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an end, so that the problem is to reverse the movement without performing work in direct opposition to the source of motion. By all the engineering appliances for deriving motion from subsidiary sources, this device for reversing the movement is applied and recognized as the absolutely essential condition. Thus, in the case of the steam engine, for example, where motion is derived from the subsidiary source, steam, a device is applied to reverse the movement of the piston without performing work in direct opposition to the source of motion (the steam), and without this device it would be necessary either to force the piston back in direct opposition to the steam pressure, whereby the energy expended would be as great as that derived, or else the piston would only make one stroke, and then become useless. Now, this is precisely what is the case with the molecular mechanism of the steam engine according to the present system of application and use, or the molecules of coal make one stroke (approach once) under the action of the ether pressure and then become useless, and thus, while the larger scale portion of the mechanism of the steam engine (the mass mechanism) is stationary, or is used again and again, the molecular mechanism is subject to continuous renewal, and, in fact, we have the anomaly that the power derived is proportional to the machinery expended. By the absence of a device for reversing the movement in the case of the molecular mechanism, the molecule of carbon must, in analogy with the

Piston in respect to the steam pressure, either be forced back in direct opposition to the intense ether pressure, or else the molecule can only approach once, and therefore a separate molecule is required for every stroke, as in analogy in the case of the larger scale mechanism, if there were no device for reversal a separate piston would be required for every stroke. This expenditure of mechanism clearly cannot affect the motive power derived from the source of motion, but it is inconvenient from the fact that the stock of coal is not infinite. The simple means of reversal as it takes place in nature, by dissipation of the vibrating energy of molecules in the ether by the isolation of matter, cannot be adopted, since there is no means of isolating matter, and all sub- stances on the earth's surface are vibrating with intense energy. Perhaps a partial reduction of the vibrating energy might help, but we are not restricted to discrete molecules, and possibly the reciprocating movements of approach and recession of masses under the action of the ether in the " electric " and " magnetic " phenomena might be found more subservient to this special object, and thus the enormous stores of motion present on all sides be made of more practical avail than by the present methods of utilization. At all events, it appears an anomaly that motion should be only obtainable from a source on the condition of the expenditure of an equivalent amount of machinery.

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