H. A. Lorentz[1] has alluded to the fact, that the length of a body in the direction of Earth's motion is contracted by the velocity of this motion in the ratio , if the molecular forces could be replaced by electrostatic forces.
By that, Michelson's result would be explained, when one can neglect molecular motions. As to how far this is true, must be shown by gas-theoretical investigations.
For the explanation of gravitation, following Lorentz, we must assume two different kinds of electric polarizations. Any of them satisfies for itself Maxwell's equations. Additionally, with respect to static fields it is given
and the energy
If or vanishes at the surface of space, the energy is