large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_226
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
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. 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
mbers. The atomic weight of chlorine was close to 35.5, that of copper to 63.5, that of iron to 55.8, that of silver to 107.9, and so on. Throughout the 19th century, chemists did not know why so many atomic weights were whole numbers, while others weren’t. They simply made their measurements and recorded what they found. For an explanation, they had to wait for a line of investigation into electricity to come to fruition. ELECTRICITY Units of Electricity Through the 18th century, 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. E POINT FIVE THAT OF COPPER SIXTY THREE POINT FIVE THAT OF IRON FIFTY FIVE POINT EIGHT THAT OF SILVER ONE O SEVEN POINT NINE AND SO ON THROUGHOUT THE NINETEENTH CENTURY CHEMISTS DID NOT KNOW WHY SO MANY ATOMIC WEIGHTS WERE WHOLE NUMBERS WHILE OTHERS WERE NOT THEY SIMPLY MADE THEIR MEASUREMENTS AND RECORDED WHAT THEY FOUND FOR AN EXPLANATION THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR A LINE OF INVESTIGATION INTO ELECTRICITY TO COME TO FRUITION ELECTRICITY UNITS OF ELECTRICITY THROUGH THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 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 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
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