Experimental researches in electricity, Fourteenth series. On the general nature and relation of the electric and magnetic forces

• Published in: Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 1843
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspl.1837.0036; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspl.1837.0036

The author commences by observing that the theory of electrical induction, which he had set forth in the 11th, 12th, and 13th series of researches, does not assume or decide anything as to the real nature of the electric forces, but only as to their distribution; the great question respecting the existence of any electric fluid, or of one, or of two fluids remaining untouched. He then states what the theory does assume; as, for instance, that all particles , whether of insulators or conductors, are, as wholes , conductors; that, being conductors, they can readily be charged either bodily or polarly; that contiguous particles being on the line of inductive action can communicate their forces more or less readily; that those doing so most readily constitute the bodies called conductors , and those doing so least readily those called insulators , &c. Having thus given a brief summary of the conclusions drawn from the previous investigations, the author proceeds to consider the particular condition of the particles which, in an insulating body, are considered as polarized; and after showing that the theory requires that they should be able to polarize in any direction, he states his expectation that a greater facility to polarize in one direction than another would still be found to belong to them, and proceeds experimentally to determine this point. His experiments were made by observing the degree of inductive force across cubes of perfectly crystallized bodies, as rock crystal and Iceland spar; these being cut so as to have the axis of the crystal parallel to the line joining two opposite faces of the cube; but the experiments, which are laborious, require extension, and he has not as yet been able to prove or disprove the expected result.