Contributions to Molecular Physics in High Vacua ¹

Abstract

II. IT has been shown that the stream of molecules are shot off from the negative pole in a negatively charged condition, and their velocity is owing to the mutual repulsion between the similarly electrified pole and molecules. It became of interest to ascertain whether lateral repulsion was exerted between the molecules themselves. If the stream of molecules coming from the negative pole carried an electric current, two parallel rays should exert mutual attraction; but if nothing of the nature of an electric current was carried by the stream, it was likely that the two parallel rays would act simply as negatively electrified bodies and exert lateral repulsion. This was not difficult to put to the test of experiment.