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XXXV. On the
conservation of force
Professor Faraday D.C.L. F.R.S.
Published online: 26 May 2009.
To cite this article: Professor Faraday D.C.L. F.R.S. (1857) XXXV. On the
conservation of force , Philosophical Magazine Series 4, 13:86, 225-239
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THE
LONDON, EDI NBURGH a s p DUBLI N
P K[ L OS OP KI Gk L
AND
J OURNAL OF
MAGAZ I NE
S CI ENCE.
[ F O U R T H SERIES.]
A P R I L 1857.
XXXV. On the Conservation of Force.
By Professor FARxvAV, D.C.L., F.R.S.*
V
ARI OUS circumstances induce me at the present moment
to put forth a consideration regarding the conservation of
force. I do not suppose t hat I can ut t er any t r ut h respecting
it t hat has not ah'eady presented itself to the hi gh and piercing
intellects ~hich move within the exalted regions of science; but
the course of my own investigations and views makes me t hi nk
t hat the consideration may be of service to those persevering
labourers (amongst whom I endeavour to class myself), who,
occupied in t he comparison of physical ideas with fundamental
principles, and continually sustaining and aiding themselves by
experiment and observation, delight to labour for the advance of
natural knowledge, and strive to follow it into undiscovered
regions.
There is no question which lies closer to the root of all phy.
sical knowledge t han t hat which inquires whether force can be
destroyed or not. The progress of the strict science of modern
times has tended more and more to produce the conviction t hat
"force can neither be created nor destroyed," and to render
daily more manifest the value of the knowledge of t hat t r ut h in
experimental research. To admit, indeed, t hat force may be
destructible or can altogether disappear, would be to admit t hat
mat t er could be uncreated; for we know mat t er only by its
forces : and t hough one of these is most commonly referred to,
namely gravity, to prove its presence, i t is not because gravity
has any pretension or any exemption amongst t he forms of force
* From the Proceedings of the Royal Institution for February 27. 1857.
Phi l MaR. S. 4. Vol. 13. No. 86. April 1857. It
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226 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation o f Force.
as regards t he principle of conservation, but simply, t hat being,
as far as we perceive, inconvertible in its nat ure and unchange-
able in its manifestation, it offers an unchangi ng test of t he
mat t er which we recognize by it.
Agreeing with those who admit t he conservation of force to
be a principle in physics as large and sure as t hat of t he inde-
structibility of matter, or t he invariability of gravity, I t hi nk
t hat no particular idea of force has a ri ght t o unlimited or un-
qualified acceptance t hat does not include assent to it ; and also
to definite amount and definite disposition o f the force, either in
one effect or another, for these are necessary consequences ;
therefore I urge t hat t he conservation of force ought to be ad-
mi t t ed as a physical principle in all our hypotheses, whet her
partial or general, regarding t he actions of matter. I have had
doubts in my own mind whether t he considerations I am about
to advance are not rat her metaphysical t han physical. I am
unable to define what is metaphysical in physical science; and
am exceedingly adverse to the easy and unconsidered admission
of one supposition upon another, suggested as t hey often are by
very imperfect induction from a small number of facts, or by a
very imperfect observation of t he facts themselves ; but, on t he
ot her hand, I t hi nk t he philosopher may be bold in his applica-
tion of principles which have been developed by close inquiry,
have stood t hrough much investigation, and continually increase
in force. For instance, time is growing up daily into importance
as an element in the exercise of force. The earth moves in its
orbit in time ; the crust of t he earth moves in time ; l i ght moves
in t i me; an electro-magnet requires time for its charge by an
electric cur r ent : to inquire, therefore, whether power, acting
either at sensible or insensible distances, always acts in time, is
not to be metaphysical ; if it acts in time and across space, it
must act by physical lines of force ; and our view of t he nature
of t he force may be affected to t he extremest degree by t he con-
clusions which experiment and observation on time may supply,
being perhaps finally determinable only by them. To inquire
after t he possible time in which gravitating, magnetic, or electric
force is exerted, is no more metaphysical t han to mark t he times
of the hands of a clock in t hei r progress ; or t hat of t he temple
of Serapis in its ascents and descents; or the periods of t he
oecultations of Jupi t er' s satellites ; or t hat in which t he l i ght
from t hem comes to t he earth. Again, in some of t he known
cases of action in time, something happens whilst t he time is
passing which did not happen before, and does not continue
after ; it is therefore not metaphysical to expect an effect in every
case, or to endeavour to discover its existence and determine its
nat ure. So in regard to t he principle of t he conservation of
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Prof. Faraday on the Conservation o f Force. 227'
force, I do not t hi nk t hat to admit it and its consequences,
whatever t hey may be, is to be metaphysical ; on t he contrary,
i f t hat word have any application to physics, t hen I t hi nk t hat
any hypothesis, whether of beat, or electricity, or gravitation, or
any ot her form of force, which either wittingly or unwi t t i ngl y
dispenses with t he principle of conservation, is more liable to
t he charge t han those which, by including it, become so far
more strict and precise.
Supposing t hat t he t r ut h of t he principle of t he conservation
of force is assented to, I come to its uses. No hypothesis should
be admitted, nor any assertion of a fact credited, t hat denies t he
principle. No view should be inconsistent or incompatible with
it. Many of our hypotheses in the present state of science may
not comprehend it, and may be unable to suggest its conse-
quences, but none should oppose or contradict it.
I f t he principle be admitted, we perceivc at once t hat a t heory
or definition, though" it may not contradict the principle, cannot
be accepted as sufficient or complete unless t he former be con-
tained in it ; t hat however well or perfectly t he definition may
include and represent t he state of things commonly considered
under it, t hat state or result is only partial, and must not be
accepted as exhaust i ng the power or being t he full equivalent,
and therefore cannot be considered as representing its whole
nature ; that, indeed, it may express only a very small part of
t he whole, only a residual ph0enomenon, and hence give us but
little indication of the full natural t rut h. Allowing the prin-
ciple its force, we ought in every hypothesis either to account
for its consequences, by saying what t he changes are when force
of a given ki nd apparently disappears, as when ice thaws, or else
should leave space for the idea of t he conversion. I f any hypo-
thesis, more or less t rust wort hy on other accounts, is insufficient
in expressing it or incompatible with it, t he place of deficiency
or opposition should be marked as the most i mport ant for exami-
nation, for t here lies t he hope of a discovery of new laws or a
new condition of force. The deficiency should never be accepted
as satisfactory, but be remembered and used as a stimulant to
furt her inquiry ; for conversions of force may here be hoped for.
Suppositions may be accepted for t he time, provided t hey are
not in contradiction with the principle. Even an increased or
diminished capacity is bet t er t han not hi ng at all ; because such
a supposition, ff made, must be consistent with t he nature of
t he original hypothesis, and may therefore, by t he application of
experiment, be converted into a furt her test of probable truth.
The case of a force simply removed or suspended, without a
t ransferred exertion in some other direction, appears to me to be
absolutely impossible.
R2
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228 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force.
I f t he principle be accepted as t rue, we have a r i ght to pursue
i t to its consequences, no mutter what t hey may be. I t is,
indeed, a dut y to do so. A t heory may be perfection, as far as
i t goes, but a consideration going beyond it is not for t hat reason
to be shut out. We mi ght as well accept our limited horizon as
t he limits of the world. No magnitude, either of t he phaenomena
or of t he results to be dealt with, should stop our exertions t o
ascertain, by t he use of t he principle, t hat something remains to
be discovered, and to trace in what direction t hat discovery
may lie.
I will endeavour to illustrate some of t he points which have
been urged, by reference, in t he first instance, to a case of power
which has long" had great attractions for me, because of its
extreme simplicity, its promising nature, its universal presence,
and its invariability under like circumstances ; on which, t hough
I have experi ment ed* and as yet failed, I t hi nk experiment
would be well bestowed: I mean t he for~e of gravitation. I
believe I represent the received idea of the gravitating force
aright, in saying t hat it is a simple attractive force exerted between
any two or all the particles or masses of matter, at every sensible
distance, but with a strength varying inversely as the syuare of the
distance. The usual idea of the force implies direct action at a
distance; and such a view appears to present little difficulty
except to Newton, and a few, including myself, who in t hat
respect may be of like mind with him ~-.
This idea of gravity appears to me to ignore entirely t he pri n.
ciple of the conservation of force; and by t he t erms of its defi-
nition, i f taken in an absolute sense "varyi ng inversely as t he
square of the distance," to be in direct opposition to it ; and it
becomes my dut y now to point out where this contradiction
occurs, and to use i t in illustration of t he principle of conserva-
tion. Assume two particles of mat t e5 A and B, in free space,
and a force in each or in bot h by which t hey gravitate towards
each other, t he force being unalterable for an unchangi ng di-
stance, but varying inversely as the square of t he distance when
t he latter varies. Then at t he distance of 10 t he force may be
estimated as 1 ; whilst at the distance of 1, i. e. one-t ent h of t he
former, t he force will be 100 ; and if we suppose an elastic
spring to be introduced between t he two as a measure of tile
attractive force, t he power compressing it will be a hundred times
as much in t he latter case as in the former. But from whence
can this enormous increase of t he power come ? I f we say t hat
it is the character of this force, and cont ent ourselves with t hat
as a sufficient answer, t hen it appears to me we admit a creation
of power, and t hat to an enormous amount ; yet by a change of
* Philosophical Transactions, 185], p. 1. t See Note, p. o32.
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Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force. ~29
condition so small and simple, as to fail in leading t he least-in.
structed mi nd to t hi nk t hat it can be a sufficient cause : - - we
should admit a result which would equal t he highest act our
minds can appreciate of the working of infinite power upon
mat t er ; we should let loose t he highest law in physical science
which our faculties permit us to perceive, namely the conserva-
tion of force. Suppose t he two particles A and B removed back
to t he greater distance of 10, then t he force of attraction would
be only a hundredt h part of t hat t hey previously possessed ; this,
according to the statement t hat the force varies inversely as t he
square of t he distance, would double the strangeness of the above
results ; it would be an annihilation of force ; an effect equal in
its infinity and its consequences with creation, and only within
t he power of Hi m who has created.
We have a ri ght to view gravitation under every form t hat
either its definition or its effects carl suggest to the mind ; it is
our privilege to do so with every force in nature ; and it is only
by so doing t hat we have succeeded to a large extent in relating
the various forms of powel,, so as to derive one fi'om another,
and t hereby obtain confirmatory evidence of t he great principle
of t he conservation of force. Then let us consider t he two par-
ticles A and B as attracting' each other by t he force of gravita-
tion under anot her view. According to the definition, t he force
depends upon both particles ; and if t he particle A or B were by
itself it could not gravitate, i. e. it could have no attraction, no
force of gravity. Supposing A to exist in t hat isolated state and
without gravitating force, and t hen B placed in relation to it~
gravitation comes on, as is supposed, on t he part of both. Now,
without t ryi ng to imagine how B, which had no gravitating force,
can raise up gravitating force in A ; and how A, equally with-
out force beforehand, can raise up force in B, still, to imagine
it as a fact done, is to admit a creation of force ill both particles,
and so to bri ng ourselves within t he impossible consequefices
which have already been referred to.
I t may be said we cannot have an idea of one particle by itself~
and so t he reasoning fails. For my part I can comprehend a
particle by itself j ust as easily as many particles; and t hough I
cannot conceive t he relation of a lone particle to gravitation,
according to t he limited view which is at present t aken of t hat
force, I can conceive its relation to something which causes gra-
vitation, and with which, whether the particle is alone, or one of
a universe of other particles, it is always related. But t he rea-
soning upon a lone particle does not fail ; for as t he particles
can be separated, we can easily conceive of the particle B being
removed to an infinite distance fi'om A, and t hen t he power in
A will be infinitely diminished. Such removal of B will be as i f
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230 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force.
i t were annihilated in regard to A, and t he force in A will be
annihilated at t he same t i me; so t hat t he case of a lone particle
and t hat where different distances only are considered become
one, being identical with each ot her in t hei r consequences. And
as removal of B to an infinite distance is as regards A annihila-
tion of ]3, so removal t o t he smallest degree is in principle t he
same t hi ng with displacement t hrough infinite space : t he small-
est increase in distance involves annihilation of power i t he an-
nihilation of t he second particle, so as to have A alone, involves
no other consequence in relation to gravity ; t here is difference
in degree, but no difference in the character of t he result.
I t seems hardly necessary to observe, t hat t he same line of
t hought grows up in t he mind if we consider t he mut ual gravi-
t at i ng action of one particle and many. The particle A will
attract t he particle B at t he distance of a mile with a certain
degree of force ; it will attract a particle C at t he same distance
of a mile with a power equal to t hat by which it attracts B ; i f
myriads of like particles be placed at t he given distance of a mile,
A will attract each with equal force ; and i f ot her particles be ac-
cumulated round it, within and without t he sphere of two miles
diameter, it will attract t hem all with a force varying inversely with
t he square of t he distance. How are we to conceive of this force
growing up in A to a millionfold or more ? and i f t he surround-
i ng particles be t hen removed, of its diminution in an equal
degree ? Or how are we to look upon t he power raised up in all
these outer particles by the action of A on t hem, or by t hei r
action one on another, without admitting, according to t he
limited definition of gravitation, t he facile generation and anni-
hilation of force ?
The assumption which we make for t he time with regard t o
t he nat ure of a power (as gravity, heat, &c.), and t he form of
words in which we express it, i. e. its definition, should be con-
sistent with t he fundamental principles of force generally. The
conservation of force is a fundamental principle ; hence t he
assumption with regard to a particular form of force ought to
imply what becomes of t he force when its action is increased or
diminished, or its direction changed; or else t he assumption should
admit t hat it is deficient on t hat point, being only hal f compe-
t ent to represent t he force, and in any case should not be opposed
to the principle of conservation. The usual definition of gravity
as an attractive force between the particles of matter VARYING
inversely as the square of the distance, whilst it stands as a full
definition of t he power, is inconsistent with t he principle of t he
conservation of force. I f we accept t he principle, such a defini-
tion must be an imperfect account of t he whole of t he force, and
is probably only a description of one exercise of t hat power,
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Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force. $31
whatever t he nat ure of t he force itself may be. I f t he definition
be accepted as tacitly including t he conservation of force, then it
ought to admit t hat consequences must occur during t he sus-
pended or diminished degree of its power as gravitation equal in
importance to the power suspended or hi dden; being, in ]~act,
equivalent to t hat diminution. I t ought also to admit that it is
i ncompet ent to suggest or deal with any of t he consequences of
t hat changed part or condition of t he force, and cannot tell
whether t hey depend on, or are related to, conditions external or
internal to t he gravitating particle ; and, as it appears to me, can
say nei t her yes nor no to any of t he arguments or probabilities
belonging to t he subject.
I f t he definition denies t he occurrence of such contingent results,
it seems to me to be unphilosophical ; if it simply ignores them,
I t hi nk it is imperfect and insufficient ; if it admits these things,
or any part of them, t hen it prepares t he natural philosopher to
look for effects and conditions as yet unknown, and is open to
any degree of development of the consequences and relations of
power: by denying, it opposes a dogmatic barrier to improve-
ment ; by ignoring, it becomes in many respects an inert thing,
often much in t he way ; by admitting, it rises to t he dignity of
a stimulus to investigation, a pilot to human science.
The principle of t he conservation of force would lead us to
assume, t hat when A and B attract each other less because of
increasing distance, t hen some other exertion of power either
within or without t hem is proportionately growing up; and
again, t hat when their distance is diminished, as from 10 to 1, t he
power of attraction, now increased a hundredfold, has been pro-
duced out of some other form of power which has been equiva-
l ent l y reduced. This enlarged assumption of t he nat ure of
gravity is not more metaphysical t han the half assumption, and
is, I believe, more philosophical, and more in accordance with all
physical considerations. The hal f assumption is, in my view of
t he matter, more dogmatic and irrational than the whole, because
it leaves it to be understood t hat power can be created and de-
stroyed almost at pleasure.
When t he equivalents of t he various ibrms of force, as far as
t hey are known, are considered, t hei r differences appear very
great ; t hus a grain of water is known to have electric relations
equivalent to a very powerful flash of lightning. I t may there-
fore be supposed t hat a very large amount of t he force causing
t he phrenomena of gravitation may be t he equivalent of a very
small change in some unknown condition of the bodies, whose
attraction is varying by change of distance. For my own part,
many considerations urge my mind towards the idea of a cause
of gravity which is not resident in t he particles of matter merely,
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232 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force.
but const ant l y in t hem and all space. I have already put
fort h considerations r egar di ng gravi t y which par t ake of t hi s
i dea*, and it seems to have been unhesi t at i ngl y accepted by
Newt on t .
There is one wonderful condition of mat t er, perhaps its onl y
t rue indication, namel y inertia ; but in relation to t he ordi nary
definition of gravi t y, it only adds to t he difficulty. For i f we
consider two particles of mat t er at a certain distance apart ,
at t ract i ng each ot her under t he power of gravi t y and fl'ee t o
approach, t hey will approach ; and when at onl y hal f the distance
each will have had stored up in it, because of its inertia, a certain
amount of mechanical force. This must be due to t he force
exerted ; and, i f t he conservation principle be t rue, must have
consumed an equivalent proport i on of t he cause of at t ract i on ;
and yet, according to t he definition of gravi t y, t he at t ract i ve
force is not diminished t hereby, but increased fourfold, t he force
growi ng up within itself t he more rapidly t he more it is occupied
in produci ng ot her force. On t he ot her hand, i f mechanical
force from wi t hout be used to separate t he particles to twice
t hei r distance, t hi s force is not stored up in moment um or by
inertia, but disappears ; and t hree-fourt hs of t he attractive force
at t he first distance disappears with it : How can t hi s be ?
We know not t he physical condition or action from which
inertia results i but inertia is always a pur e ease of t he conser-
vation of force. I t has a strict relation to gravi t y, as appears by
t he proport i onat e amount of force which gravi t y can communi -
cate to t he i nert body; but i t appears to have t he same strict
rel at i on to ot her forces act i ng at a distance as those of magnet -
i sm or electricity, when t hey are so applied by t he t angent i al
bal ance as t o act i ndependent of t he gravi t at i ng force. I t has
t he like strict relation to force communi cat ed by impact, pull, or
in any ot her way. I t enables a body to t ake up and conserve a
given amount of force unt i l t hat force is t ransferred to ot her
bodies, or changed i nt o an equivalent of some ot her form ; t hat
is all t hat we perceive in it : and we cannot find a more st ri ki ng
instance amongst nat ural or possible ph~enomena of t he necessity
of t he conservation of force as a law of nat ure, or one more i n
* Proceedings of the Royal Institution, 1855, vol. ii. p. 10, &e.
t "That gravity should be innate, inherent, and essential to matter, so
that one body may act upon another at a distance, through a vacuum, with-
out the mediation of anything else, by and through which their action and
force ma~. be conveyed from one to another, is to me so great an absurdity
that I believe no man who has in philosophical matters a competent faculty
of thinking, can ever fall into it. Gravity must he caused by an agent act-
mg constantly according to certain laws ; but whether this agent be mate-
rial or immaterial I have left to the consideration of my readers."--See New.
ton's Third Letter to Bentley.
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Prof. Faraday on the Conservation o f Force. 233
contrast with t he assumed variable condition of t he gravitating
force supposed to reside in the particles of matter.
Even gravity itself furnishes t he strictest proof of t he conser-
vation of force in this, t hat its power is unchangeable for the
same distance ; and is by t hat in striking contrast with t he varia-
tion which we assume in regard to t he cause of ur avi t y , to account
for t he results at different distances.
I t will not be imagined for a moment t hat I am opposed to
what may be called t he law of gravitating action, t hat is, the law
by which all t he known effects of gravity are governed ; what I
am considering, is the definition of the force of gravitation.
That the result of one exercise of a power may be inversely as
t he square of t he distance, I believe and admit ; and I know t hat
i t is so in t he case of gravity, and has been verified to an extent
t hat could hardly have been within t he conception even of Newton
himself when he gave ut t erance to t he law ; but t hat t he totality
of a force can be employed according to t hat law I do not believe,
either in relation to gravitation, or electricity, or magnetism, or
any other supposed form of power.
I mi ght have drawn reasons for urgi ng a continual recollection
of, and reference to, t he principle of t he conservation of force
fi'om other forms of power t han t hat of gravitation ; but I t hi nk
t hat when founded on gravitating phmnomena, they appear in
t hei r greatest simplicity; and precisely for this reason, t hat gra-
vitation has not yet been connected by any degree of converti-
bility with t he other forms of force. I f I refer for a few minutes
to these ot her forms, it is only to point, in t hei r variations, to t he
proofs of t he value of t he principle laid down, t he consistency of
t he known phmnomena with it, and t he suggestions of research
and discovery which arise from i t *. Heat, for instance, is a mi ght y
form of power, and its effects have been greatly developed;
therefore assumptions regardi ng its nat ure become useful and
necessary, and philosophers t r y to define it. The most probable
assumption is, t h a t it is a motion of t he particles of mat t er ; but
a vmw, at one time very popular, is, t hat it consists of a particular
fluid of heat. Whet her it be viewed in one way or t he other, t he
principle of conservation is admitted, I believe, with all its force.
When transferred from one portion to another portion of like
matter, t he full amount of heat appears. When transferred t o
mat t er of anot her kind, an apparent excess or deficiency often
resul t s; t he word " c a p a c i t y " is t hen introduced, which, whilst
it acknowledges t he principle of conservation, leaves space for
research. When employed in changing the state of bodies, t he
appearance and disappearance of t he heat is provided for con-
* Helmholtz, "On the Conservation of Force," Taylor's Scientific Me-
moirs, 2nd series, 1853, p. 114.
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234 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force.
si st ent l y' by t he assumption of enlarged or diminished motion, or
else space is ]eft by t he t erm "capaci t y" for t he partial views
which remain to be developed. When converted into mechanical
force, in t he steam- or air-engin% and so brought into direct
contact with gravity, bei ng t hen easily placed in relation to it,
still t he conservation of force is fully respected and wonderfully
sustained. The constant amount of heat developed in the whole
of a voltaic current described by M. P. A. Favre*, and the pre-
sent state of the knowledge of thermo-electricity, are again fine
partial or subordinate illustrations of the principle of conserva-
tion. Even when rendered radiant, and for t he time giving no
trace or signs of ordinary heat action, t he assumptions regarding"
its nat ure have provided for t he belief in t he conservation of
force, by admitting either t hat it throws the ~ether into an equi-
valent state, in sustaining which for t he time t he power is en-
gaged, or else t hat t he motion of the particles of heat is em-
ployed altogether in t hei r own transit from place to place.
I t is t rue t hat heat often becomes evident or insensible in a
manner unknown to us ; and we have a ri ght to ask what is
happeni ng when t he heat disappears in one part, as of t he
thermo-voltaic current, and appears in anot her ; or when it en-
larges or changes t he state of bodies ; or what would happen, i f
t he heat being presented, such changes were purposely opposed.
We have a ri ght to ask these questions, but not to ignore or
deny t he conservation of force ; and one of t he highest uses of
t he principle is to suggest such inquiries. Explications of similar
points are continually produced, and will be most abundant from
t he hands of those who, not desiring to ease t hei r labour by
forget t i ng t he principle, are ready to admit i t either tacitly, or
bet t er still, effectively, being t hen continually guided by it. Such
philosophers believe t hat heat must do its equivalent of work :
t hat i f in doing work it seem to disappear, it is still produci ng
its equivalent effect, t hough often in a manner partially or totally
unknown ; and t hat if it give rise to anot her form of force (as
we imperfectly express it), t hat force is equivalent in power to
t he heat which has disappeared.
What is called chemical attraction affords equally instructive
and suggestive considerations in relation to t he principle of t he
conservation of force. The indestructibility of individual mat t er
is one case, and a most i mport ant one, of t he conservation of
chemical force. A molecule has been endowed with powers
which give rise in it to various qualities ; and these never change,
either in their nature or amount. A particle of oxygen is ever
a particle of oxygen- - not hi ng can in t he least wear it. I f it
enters into combination and disappears as oxygen, - - i f i t pass
* Comptes Rendus, 1854, vol. xxxix, p. 1212.
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Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force. 235
t hr ough a thousand combinations, animal, vegetable, mi ner al - -
if it lie hid for a thousand years and then be evolved, it is oxygen
with its first qualities, neither more nor less. I t has all its ori-
ginal force, and only t hat ; the amount of force which it disen-
gaged when hiding itself has again to be employed in a reverse
direction when it is set at l i bert y; and if hereafter we should
decompose oxygen, and find it compounded of other particles,
we should only increase t he st rengt h of the proof of t he conser-
vation of force ; for we should have a ri ght to say of these par-
ticles, long as t hey have been hidden, all t hat we could say of
t he oxygen itself.
Again, t he body of facts included in t he theory of definite
proportions, witnesses to the t r ut h of t he conservation of force i
and t hough we know little of t he cause of t he change of proper-
ties of the acting and produced bodies, or how t he forces of the
former are hi d amongst those of the latter, we do not for an
i nst ant doubt t he conservation, but are moved to look for t he
manner in which t he forces are for t he time disposed; or if t hey
have taken up anot her form of force, to search what t hat form may be.
Even chemical action at a distance, which is in such antithe-
tical contrast with t he ordinary exertion of chemical attlnity, since
it can produce effects miles away from t he particles on which
t hey depend, and which are effectual only by forces acting at in-
sensible distances, still proves t he same t hi ng, - - t he conservation
of force. Preparations can be made for a chemical action in the
simple voltaic circuit, but unt i l the circuit be complete t hat action
does not occur ; yet in completing we can so arrange t he circuit,
t hat a distant chemical action, t he perfect equivalent of t he do-
mi nant chemical action, shall be produced ; and this result,
whilst it establishes t he electro-chemical equivalent of power,
establishes the principle of t he conservation of force also, and at
t he same time suggests many collateral inquiries which have yet
to be made and answered, before all t hat concerns t he conserva-
tion in this case can be understood.
This and other instances of chemical action at a distance, carry
our inquiring t hought s on from the facts to t he physical mode
of t he exertion of force ; for t he qualities which seem located and
fixed to certain r.~' ticles of matter, appear at a distance in con-
nexion with particles altogether different. They also lead our
t hought s to t he conversion of one form of power into another :
as, for instance, in the heat which t he elements of a voltaic pile
may either show at the place where t hey act by t hei r combustion
or combination together ; or in t he distance, where t he electric
spark may be rendered mani fest ; or in t he wire or fluids of t he
different parts of the circuit.
W~en we occupy ourselves with t he dual forms of power, elec-
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236 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force.
trlcity and magnetism, we find great latitude of assumption ;
and necessarily so, for t he powers become more and more com-
plicated in t hei r conditions. But still there is no apparent desire
to let loose t he force of the principle of conservation, even in
those cases where t he appearance and disappearance of force may
seem most evident and striking. :Electricity appears when t here
is consumption of no other force t han tllat required for friction ;
we do not know how, but we search to know, not bei ng willing
to admit t hat the electric force can arise out of nothing. The
two electricities are developed in equal proportions ; and having
appeared, we may dispose variously of t he influence of one upon
successive portions of the other, causing many changes in rela-
tion, yet never able to make the sum of t he force of one ki nd in
t he least degree exceed or come short of the sum of t he other.
I n t hat necessity of equality we see another direct proof of t he
conservation of force, in t he midst of a t housand changes t hat
require to be developed in t hei r principles before we can consider
this part of science as even moderately known to us.
One assumption with regard to electricity is, t hat t here is an
electric fluid rendered evident by excitement in plus and minus
proportions. Another assumption is, t hat there are two fluids of
electricity, each particle of each repelling all particles like itself,
and attracting all particles of t he ot her ki nd always, and with a
force proportionate to t he inverse square of the distance, bei ng
so far analogous to t he definition of gravity. This hypothesis is
antagonistic to t he law of t he conservation of force, and open t o
all t he objections t hat have been, or may be, made against t he
ordinary definition of gravity. Anot her assumption is, t hat each
particle of the two electricities has a given amount of power, and
can only at t ract contrary particles with t he sum of t hat amount ,
acting upon each of two with only half t he power it could in like
circumstances exert upon one. :But various as are t he assump-
tions, t he conservation of force (though want i ng in t he second)
is, I t hi nk, intended to be included in all. I mi ght repeat t he
same observations nearly in regard to magnet i sm, - - whet her it be
assumed as a fluid, or two fluids or electric cur r ent s, - - whct her t he
external action be supposed to be action at a distance, or depend-
ent on an external condition and lines of force--st i l l all are in-
t ended to admit t he conservation of power as a principle to which
t he ph~enornena are subject.
The principles of physical knowledge are now so far developed
as to enable us not merely to define or describe t he known, but
to state reasonable expectations regardi ng t he unknown; and I
t hi nk t he principle of t he conservation of force may greatly aid
experimental philosophers in t hat dut y to science, which consists
in the enunciation of problems to be solved. I t will lead "us, in
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Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force. 237
any case where t he force remaining unchanged in form is altered
in direction only, to look for t he new disposition of t he force ;
as in t he eases of magnetism, static electricity, and perhaps gra-
vity, and to ascertain t hat as a whole it remains unchanged in
amount : - - or , if t he original force disappear, either altogether or
in part, it will lead us to look for t he new condition or form of
force which should result, and to develope its equivalency to t he
force t hat has disappeared. Likewise, when force is developed,
i t will cause us to consider t he previously existing equivalent to
t he force so appeari ng; and many such eases t here are in che-
mical action. When force disappears, as in t he electric or mag-
netic induction after mor.e or less discharge, or t hat of gravity
with an increasing distance, it will suggest a research as to
whether the equivalent change is one within t he apparently
acting bodies, or one external (in part) to them. I t will also
raise up inquiry as to t he nat ure of t he internal or external state,
bot h before t he change and after. I f supposed to be external,
it will .suggest t he necessity of a physical process, by which t he
power is communicated from body to body; and in t he ease of
external action, will lead to t he i nqui ry whether, in any ease,
t here can be t rul y action at a distance, or whether t he ~ether or
some ot her medium is not necessarily present.
We are not permi t t ed as yet to see t he nature of t he source
of physical power, but we are allowed to see much of t he con-
sistency existing amongst t he various forms in which it is pre-
sented to us. Thus, i f in static electricity we consider an act of
induction, we can perceive the consistency of all ot her like acts
of induction with it. I f we t hen take an electric current and
tom.pare it with this inductive effect, we see t hei r relation and
consmtency. I n t he same manner we have arrived at a know-
ledge of the consistency of magnetism with electricity, and also
of chemical action and of heat with all t he former ; and if we see
not t he consistency between gravitation with any of these forms
of force, I am strongly of t he mind t hat it is because of our igno-
rance only. How imperfect would our idea of an electric cur-
r ent now be i f we were to leave out of sight its origin, its static
and dynamic induction, its magnetic influence, its chemical and
heat i ng effects ? or our idea of any one of these results, i f we left
any of t he others unregarded ? That t here should be a power
of gravitation existing by itself, having no relation to the other
natural powers, and no respect to the law of the conservation of
f orce, is as little likely as t hat t here should be a principle of
levity as welt as of gravity. Gravity may be only t he residual
part of t he ot her forces of nature, as Mossotti has tried to show ;
but t hat it should fall out from t he law of all ot her force, and
should be outside t he reach either of furt her experiment or philo.
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238 Prof. Faraday on the Conservation of Force.
sophical conclusions, is not probable. So we must strive to learn
more of this outstanding power, and endeavour to avoid any de-
finition of it which is incompatible with t he principles of force
general l y; for all t he ph~enomena of nat ure lead us to believe
t hat the great and governing law is one. I would much rat her
incline to believe t hat bodies affecting each other by gravitation
act by lines of force of definite amount (somewhat in the manner
of magnetic or electric induction, t hough without polarity), or
by an rather pervading all parts of space, t han admit t hat t he
conservation of force could be dispensed with.
I t may be supposed that one who has little or no mathema-
tical knowledge should hardly assume a ri ght to j udge of t he
generality and force of a principle such as t hat which forms t he
subject of these remarks. My apology is this : I do not perceive
t hat a mathematical mind, simply as such, has any advantage
over an equally acute mind not mathematical, in perceiving t he
nat ure and power of a nat ural principle of action. I t cannot of
itself introduce the knowledge of any new principle. Dealing
with any and every amount of static electricity, t he mathematical
mind Call, and has balanced and adjusted t hem with wonderful
advantage, and has foretold results which the experimentalist
can do no more t han verify. But it could not discover dynamic
electricity, nor electro-magnetism, nor magneto-electricity~ or
even suggest t hem ; t hough when once discovered by t he expe-
rimentalist, it can take t hem up with extreme facility. So in
respect of t he force of gravitation, it has calculated t he results
of t he power in such a wonderful manner as to trace t he known
planets t hrough t hei r courses and perturbations, and in so doing
has discovered a planet before unknown ; but t here may be results
of t he gravitating force of other kinds t han attraction inversely
as the square of t he distance, of which it knows nothing, can
discover nothing, and can neither assert nor deny t hei r possibility
or occurrence. Under these circumstances, a principle which
may be accepted as equally strict with mathematical knowledge,
comprehensible without it, applicable by all in t hei r philosophical
logic, whatever form t hat may take, and above all, suggestive,
encouraging, and instructive to t he mind of t he experimentalist,
should be t he more earnestly employed and t he more frequent l y
resorted to when we are labouring either to discover new regions
of science, or to map out and developc those which are known
into one harmonious whole ; and if in such strivings we, whilst
applying t he principle of conservation, see but imperfectly, still
we should cndeavour to see, for even an obscure and distorted
vision is bet t er t han none. Let us, i f we can, discover a new
t hi ng in any shape; t he t rue appearance and character will be
easily developed afterwards.
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Composition of the Waters of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa. 239
Some are much surprised t hat I should, as t hey think, venture
to oppose t he conclusions of Newt on : but here there is a mis-
take. I do not oppose Newton on any poi nt ; it is rat her those
who sustain t he idea of action at a distance that contradict him.
Doubt ful as I ought to be of myself, I am certainly very glad to
feel that my convictions are in accordance with his conclusions.
At t he same time, those who occupy thmnselves with such mat-
ters ought not to depend altogether upon authority, but should
find reason within themselves, after careful t hought and consi-
deration, to use and abide by t hei r own j udgement . Newton
himself, whilst referring to those who were j udgi ng his views,
speaks of such as are competent to form an opinion in such mat-
ters, and makes a st rong distinction between t hem and those who
were incompetent for the case.
But after all, the principle of the conservation of force may by
some be denied. Well, t hen, i f it be unfounded even in its ap-
plication to t he smallest part of t he science of force, the proof
must be within our reach, for all physical science is so. I n t hat
case, discoveries as large or larger t han any yet made may be
anticipated. I did not resist the search for them, for no one
can do harm, but only good, who works with an earnest and
t r ut hf ul spirit in such a direction. But l et us not admit t he
destruction or creation of force without clear and constant proof.
Just as t he chemist owes all t he perfection of his science to his
dependence on t he certainty Of gravitation applied by t he balance,
so may t he physical philosopher expect to find t he greatest
security and t he utmost aid in t he principle of t he conservation
of force. All t hat we have t hat is good and safe, as t he steam-
engine, the electric telegraph, &c., witness to t he pr i nci pl e, - - i t
would require a perpetual motion, a fire without heat, heat
without a source, action without reaction, cause without effect,
or effect without a cause, to displace it from its rank as a law of
nature.
XXXVI . On the Chemical Composition of the Waters of the St.
Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. By T. STEaRY HVNT, of the
Geological Survey of Uanada*.
T
HE st udy of t he chemical composition of t he waters of great
rivers offers many points of interest, whet her considered
i n relation to t he disintegration and solution of existing rock
formations, t he formation of new deposits, or t he part which
these waters play in t he mconomy of animal and vegetable life.
* From the unpublished Report of the Survey for 1854. Communicated
by the Author.
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