§ 4. Electrons in Metals: Movement of electrons in metals foreshadowed by Weber--Giese's, Riecke's, Drude's, and J.J. Thomson's researches--Path of ions in metals and conduction of heat--Theory of Lorentz--Hesehus' explanation of electrification by contact--Emission of electrons by charged body-- Thomson's measurement of positive ions. CHAPTER IX CATHODE RAYS AND RADIOACTIVE BODIES § 1. The Cathode Rays: History of discovery--Crookes' theory--Lenard rays--Perrin's proof of negative charge--Cathode rays give rise to X-rays--The canal rays--Villard's researches and magneto-cathode rays-- Ionoplasty--Thomson's measurements of speed of rays-- All atoms can be dissociated. § 2. Radioactive Substances: Uranic rays of Niepce de St Victor and Becquerel--General radioactivity of matter--Le Bon's and Rutherford's comparison of uranic with X rays--Pierre and Mme. Curie's discovery of polonium and radium--Their characteristics--Debierne discovers actinium. § 3. Radiations and Emanations of Radioactive Bodies: Giesel's, Becquerel's, and Rutherford's Researches--Alpha, beta, and gamma rays--Sagnac's secondary rays--Crookes' spinthariscope--The emanation --Ramsay and Soddy's researches upon it--Transformations of radioactive bodies--Their order. § 4. Disaggregation of Matter and Atomic Energy: Actual transformations of matter in radioactive bodies --Helium or lead final product--Ultimate disappearance of radium from earth--Energy liberated by radium: its amount and source--Suggested models of radioactive atoms--Generalization from radioactive phenomena -Le Bon's theories--Ballistic hypothesis generally admitted--Does energy come from without--Sagnac's experiments--Elster and Geitel's _contra_. CHAPTER X THE ETHER AND MATTER § 1. The Relations between the Ether and Matter: Attempts to reduce all matter to forms of ether--Emission and absorption phenomena show reciprocal action-- Laws of radiation--Radiation of gases--Production of spectrum--Differences between light and sound variations show difference of media--Cauchy's, Briot's, Carvallo's and Boussinesq's researches--Helmholtz's and Poincaré's electromagnetic theories of dispersion. § 2. The Theory of Lorentz:--Mechanics fails to explain relations between ether and matter--Lorentz predicts action of magnet on spectrum--Zeeman's experiment --Later researches upon Zeeman effect-- Multiplicity of electrons--Lorentz's explanation of thermoelectric phenomena by electrons--Maxwell's and Lorentz's theories do not agree--Lorentz's probably more correct--Earth's movement in relation to ether. § 3. The Mass of Electrons: Thomson's and Max Abraham's view that inertia of charged body due to charge--Longitudinal and transversal mass--Speed of electrons cannot exceed that of light--Ratio of charge to mass and its variation--Electron simple electric charge--Phenomena produced by its acceleration.