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Imponderable fluid

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141:, and what not, with little hard atoms swimming about, each endowed with forces of repulsion and attraction of all sorts, as was thought desirable. This idea of the constitution of matter was perhaps the worst of all. These imponderable fluids were mere names, and these forces were suppositions, representing no 217:
consists of weights to which an electric charge has been applied, such as through the static electric effect. As masses with similar charges (i.e. both positive or both negative) will repel each other, an "electric fluid" was conceived to explain the effect: "the fluid diffused on the one ball repels
335:, a center of force, and "matter" is a crowd of such points, endowed with inertia and powers of attraction and repulsion.(The Monist: Volume 20. By Edward C. Hegeler, Paul Carus, Hegeler Institute, 1910. Page 220.) 424:
Grotthus, "Sur la Composition de l'Eau et des Corps quelle tient en dissolution a l'aide de l'Electricite galvanique". (Tr., On the Composition of Water Bodies and what holds in solution with the aid of galvanic
225:" by combining nitrogen and carbon in a porous cell containing ammonia, immersed in a vessel tilled with molasses. The current was to flow through silk threads attached to the vessel: about 1868. 318:
Time of describing a given space from rest under the action of a force varying as the distance from a fixed point. Principia By Sir Isaac Newton. Pg., 86
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and is repelled by the fluid diffused on the other ball, and that the balls being covered by the fluid are reciprocally repelled."
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was also much thought of as a medium. We even find half-a-dozen imponderable co-existent fluids regarded with favour,—one called
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moved in an ambient fluid, though the idea is not unlike his own. It is difficult to trace the origin of the hypothesis, but
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both speak of a subtle ether. The conception of an all-pervading imponderable fluid of this kind has formed part of
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exerted by a position or point only, where nothing existed but the power of exerting a force.
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described myriad hypotheses of physics that had been put forth involving imponderable fluids:
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Haydn's dictionary of dates and universal information relating to all ages and nations
358: 121:, and ether came to be very generally adopted as a favourite name for the fluid, but 98: 332: 206: 188: 418: 411: 263: 214: 118: 110: 91: 210: 122: 75: 35: 159:", speculators thought themselves at liberty to imagine any number of forces, 432: 114: 24: 381:, Improved imponderable fluid, and mode of generating the same. Jan 1, 1867. 378: 244: 234: 172: 150: 130: 79: 134: 71: 176: 160: 59: 180: 168: 55: 51: 90:
In an article published in 1868, English inventor and polymath
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got rid of atoms altogether, by supposing them to be the mere
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as the result of invisible and practically weightless (Latin:
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No attempt was made to show how or why the forces acted, but
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Traces of these hypothetical fluids survive in phrases like
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The North British review. (1868). Edinburgh: W.P. Kennedy
421:: With original experiments, by Joseph Priestley. London. 205:
The term "electric fluid" was sometimes used to describe
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which are generated by what science now refers to as an
331:, an atom was no longer a substantial entity, but a 221:
M. Martin Ziegler patented a method of producing a "
70:. Historically proposed imponderable fluids include 430: 419:The history and present state of electricity 276:Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth 266:, Leonard Landois , William Stirling, 1889 101:mentions with great disapproval a certain 78:; additionally some physicists considered 390:Haydn, J., & In Vincent, B. (1893). 431: 351: 287: 281: 13: 412:The correlation of physical forces 404: 278:, Stathis Psillos, 1999, Routledge 85: 14: 455: 194: 327:As defined by Boscovich and the 290:"The Atomic Theory of Lucretius" 384: 372: 338: 321: 312: 269: 257: 153:being taken as due to a mere " 41: 21:superseded scientific theories 1: 250: 444:Obsolete theories in physics 264:Textbook of Human Physiology 181:higher power of the distance 7: 240:Corpuscular theory of light 228: 201:Fluid theory of electricity 10: 460: 414:. London: Longmans, Green. 198: 46:The term has been used in 288:Jenkin, Fleeming (1868). 363:A hand-book of mechanics 294:The North British Review 19:are features of several 213:. For example, a basic 169:varying as the distance 161:attractive or repulsive 417:Priestley, J. (1767). 147: 29:electromotive theories 410:Grove, W. R. (1874). 96: 394:. N.Y: G.P. Putnam 17:Imponderable fluids 333:mathematical point 105:who supposed that 48:natural philosophy 23:, such as archaic 379:U.S. patent 60986 215:electric pendulum 207:electrical forces 451: 398: 388: 382: 376: 370: 355: 349: 342: 336: 325: 319: 316: 310: 309: 307: 305: 285: 279: 273: 267: 261: 189:centre of forces 183:, etc. At last, 459: 458: 454: 453: 452: 450: 449: 448: 439:Aether theories 429: 428: 407: 405:Further reading 402: 401: 389: 385: 377: 373: 365:. Philadelphia 356: 352: 343: 339: 326: 322: 317: 313: 303: 301: 286: 282: 274: 270: 262: 258: 253: 231: 203: 197: 92:Fleeming Jenkin 88: 86:Fluids theories 44: 12: 11: 5: 457: 447: 446: 441: 427: 426: 422: 415: 406: 403: 400: 399: 383: 371: 350: 337: 320: 311: 280: 268: 255: 254: 252: 249: 248: 247: 242: 237: 230: 227: 211:electric field 199:Main article: 196: 195:Electric fluid 193: 185:Ruđer Bošković 143:observed facts 87: 84: 82:imponderable. 64:imponderabilis 43: 40: 36:energy storage 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 456: 445: 442: 440: 437: 436: 434: 425:electricity.) 423: 420: 416: 413: 409: 408: 397: 393: 387: 380: 375: 368: 364: 360: 354: 347: 341: 334: 330: 329:French School 324: 315: 299: 295: 291: 284: 277: 272: 265: 260: 256: 246: 243: 241: 238: 236: 233: 232: 226: 224: 219: 216: 212: 208: 202: 192: 190: 186: 182: 178: 174: 170: 166: 162: 158: 157: 152: 146: 144: 140: 136: 132: 128: 124: 120: 119:many theories 116: 112: 108: 104: 100: 95: 93: 83: 81: 77: 73: 69: 65: 61: 57: 53: 49: 39: 37: 32: 30: 26: 22: 18: 386: 374: 362: 353: 340: 323: 314: 302:. Retrieved 297: 293: 283: 271: 259: 245:Energeticism 235:Newtonianism 222: 220: 204: 154: 148: 97: 89: 63: 45: 33: 16: 15: 359:Lardner, D. 223:vital fluid 165:alternating 151:gravitation 131:electricity 80:electricity 42:Description 433:Categories 251:References 137:, another 135:phlogiston 133:, another 129:, another 103:Hartsoeker 72:phlogiston 361:(1853 ). 171:, or the 60:phenomena 229:See also 58:certain 123:caloric 111:Galileo 99:Leibniz 76:caloric 56:explain 52:physics 38:, etc. 346:Pg 126 304:30 May 173:square 115:Hobbes 68:fluids 25:atomic 396:Pg 28 300:: 239 179:, or 163:, or 156:force 139:light 107:atoms 306:2014 177:cube 127:heat 113:and 74:and 50:and 27:and 367:223 54:to 435:: 357:J 298:48 296:. 292:. 175:, 167:, 145:. 66:) 31:. 369:. 348:. 308:.

Index

superseded scientific theories
atomic
electromotive theories
energy storage
natural philosophy
physics
explain
phenomena
fluids
phlogiston
caloric
electricity
Fleeming Jenkin
Leibniz
Hartsoeker
atoms
Galileo
Hobbes
many theories
caloric
heat
electricity
phlogiston
light
observed facts
gravitation
force
attractive or repulsive
alternating
varying as the distance

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