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PHILOSOPHYSwedenborgs law that different ethers or atmospheres are concerned as the active factors in magnetism and electricity has also been approached in general way by concept pre- sented in CLERK MAXWELLS study of the lines of physical force around magnet. Commenting on the fact that cur- rent of electricity cannot be set up without exciting current of magnetism and that the magnetic current always moves at right angles to the current of electricity and on the fact that the converse of this is true namely that current of magnet- ism cannot be excited without setting up current of elec- tricity at right angles to its own direction Maxwell concludes that the ether element to which the electricity is due must be in the nature of large spheres or vortex-rings embedded in medium inconceivable. He says also that the latter the sur- rounding or matrix element must consist of spherical particles or vortices but inconceivably smaller than those to which the electric current is due. Thus the interstices between the larger spherical or vortex-rings to current among which the elec- tric current owes its origin are rilled by units inconceivably smaller and to the movement or current of these units are due the magnetic currents. Thus he accounts for the fact that the large electrical vortex-rings cannot move without exciting current in their matrix medium nor the finer matrix medium be set in motion without inducing motion in the grosser en- tities embedded in it these mutually induced motions or cur- rents always necessarily flowing at right angles to each other. prev next |