On the other hand, by calculating the energy
of the vibrating particles we are again led to attribute to these
particles the same constitution as that of the electrons.
It is in the same way possible, as Professor Lorentz has shown, to
give a very satisfactory explanation of the thermo-electric phenomena
by supposing that the number of liberated electrons which exist in a
given metal at a given temperature has a determined value varying with
each metal, and is, in the case of each body, a function of the
temperature. The formula obtained, which is based on these hypotheses,
agrees completely with the classic results of Clausius and of Lord
Kelvin. Finally, if we recollect that the phenomena of electric and
calorific conductivity are perfectly interpreted by the hypothesis of
electrons, it will no longer be possible to contest the importance of
a theory which allows us to group together in one synthesis so many
facts of such diverse origins.
If we study the conditions under which a wave excited by an electron's
variations in speed can be transmitted, they again bring us face to
face, and generally, with the results pointed out by the ordinary
electromagnetic theory.
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