Paul Langevin

The Physics of Electrons Paul Langevin

The singular fecundity manifested by the new notion, by the experimental fact of the discontinuous, corpuscular structure, of electric charges seems to be the most salient feature of modern works in Electricity. Its consequences penetrate into all areas of ancient physics: all powerful in electromagnetism, optics, radiant heat, they come to throw a new clarity on the fundamental conceptions of Newtonian mechanics and rejuvenate the old atomistic ideas to the point of the to move from the rank of hypotheses to that of principles, thanks to the close link established by the laws of electrolysis between the atomic structure of matter and that of electricity. Without attempting here to cover the whole field of these applications, I would like to indicate on what solid bases, experimental and theoretical, rests immediately the notion of electron, the foundation of the new physics, to emphasize the points which seem to require a more complete and show how vast is the synthesis that we can hope to deduce from it, a synthesis of which only the main lines appear to be stopped today. In its present and provisional form, this synthesis constitutes an admirable instrument of research, and, thanks to it, questions arise in all directions. There is, in a way, a new America, where one breathes freely, solicits all activities and can teach many things to the old world.