large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_81
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
In that case, the same quantity of electricity, containing the same number of units, would liberate the same number of atoms. IN THAT CASE THE SAME QUANTITY OF ELECTRICITY CONTAINING THE SAME NUMBER OF UNITS WOULD LIBERATE THE SAME NUMBER OF ATOMS
, scientists had been fascinated by the properties of electricity. Electricity seemed, at the time, to be a very fine fluid that could extend through ordinary matter without taking up any room. Electricity did more than radiate through matter, however. It also produced important changes in matter. In the first years of the 19th century, it was found that a current of electricity could cause different atoms or different groups of atoms to move in opposite directions through a liquid in which they were dissolved. The English scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) noted in 1832 that a given quantity of electricity seemed to liberate the same number of atoms of a variety of different elements. In some cases, though, it liberated just half the expected number of atoms; or even, in a few cases, just a third. Scientists began to speculate that electricity, like matter, might consist of tiny units. When electricity broke up a molecule, perhaps a unit of electricity attached itself to each atom. ED BY THE PROPERTIES OF ELECTRICITY ELECTRICITY SEEMED AT THE TIME TO BE A VERY FINE FLUID THAT COULD EXTEND THROUGH ORDINARY MATTER WITHOUT TAKING UP ANY ROOM ELECTRICITY DID MORE THAN RADIATE THROUGH MATTER HOWEVER IT ALSO PRODUCED IMPORTANT CHANGES IN MATTER IN THE FIRST YEARS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY IT WAS FOUND THAT A CURRENT OF ELECTRICITY COULD CAUSE DIFFERENT ATOMS OR DIFFERENT GROUPS OF ATOMS TO MOVE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THROUGH A LIQUID IN WHICH THEY WERE DISSOLVED THE ENGLISH SCIENTIST MICHAEL FARADAY SEVENTEEN NINETY ONE EIGHTEEN SIXTY SEVEN NOTED IN EIGHTEEN THIRTY TWO THAT A GIVEN QUANTITY OF ELECTRICITY SEEMED TO LIBERATE THE SAME NUMBER OF ATOMS OF A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS IN SOME CASES THOUGH IT LIBERATED JUST HALF THE EXPECTED NUMBER OF ATOMS OR EVEN IN A FEW CASES JUST A THIRD SCIENTISTS BEGAN TO SPECULATE THAT ELECTRICITY LIKE MATTER MIGHT CONSIST OF TINY UNITS WHEN ELECTRICITY BROKE UP A MOLECULE PERHAPS A UNIT OF ELECTRICITY ATTACHED ITSELF TO EACH ATOM
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