Observations on a series of electrical experiments / By Dr Hoadly, and Mr Wilson.

  • Benjamin Hoadly
Date:
1756
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on a series of electrical experiments / By Dr Hoadly, and Mr Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    76/80 (page 72)
    [72]. In either of thefe cafes, a piece of flint or fteel li evidently feparated from the body, and its component particles put into fuch agitations among each other, as to throw off the rays of light that were among them, and Ihine and melt, and afterwards cool in a fpherical form: by the adlion of the aether on light and air, and thefe component particles ; and the reaction of thefe upon the aether; on their being all put into adlion at once by the brifknefe of the ftroke. There would have been no fuch fpark produced, if any of thefe had been wanting; and confequently, they are all neceflary, though perhaps not equally fo, to the pro¬ ducing of this effedt; the aether feeming to be as power¬ ful an agent as any amongfl: them ; without which the inteftine motion among the component particles of the piece ftruck off, could not have been kept regularly up, even for the very fmall time in which thefe changes are made in that piece. In the fame manner are the appearances of light in thefe eledtrical experiments, whether in faint ftreams of different colours, or in bright and adtive fparks, to be confidered ; as arifing from fmaller parts of grofs bodies feparated from them, and carried off by the adlivity of the excited aether, paffing from one body into another; which, parts, though imperceptible to us, muff have their com¬ ponent particles put into agitations amongfl: themfelves, and, in being decompofed, part with the light (that be¬ fore lay hid within them) and their moft volatile parti¬ cles ;