Thus it would be necessary to study the from of the emerging aether flows, and under consideration of them to again tackle the question after the ponderomotive actions.
The basics of a theory of the mentioned aether flows was already sketched by the masterhand of Hermann von Helmholtz in one[1] of his last papers, which he was able to complete.
We cannot discuss the considered questions, because the fundamental assumption by which we started, gives another view. Indeed, why should we, since we assumed that the aether is not in motion, ever speak about a force acting on that medium? The most simple would by, to assume that on a volume element of the aether, considered as a whole, never acts a force, or even refuse to apply the concept of force on such an element that of course never moves from its place. Of course this view violates the equality of action and reaction —, since we have reason to say that the aether exerts forces on ponderable matter —; but, as far I can see, nothing forces us to elevate this theorem to an unrestricted fundamental law.
Once we have decided ourselves in favor of the previously discusses view, then we must refuse from the outset, to reduce the ponderomotive forces (that follow from (V)) to tensions of the aether.
Nevertheless we may apply equation (15) to simplify the calculation, and it won't cause a misunderstanding, when we express ourselves for brevities sake, as if the elements of the two first integrals would mean real tensions in the aether.
- ↑ v. Helmholtz. Folgerungen aus Maxwell’s Theorie über die Bewegungen des reinen Aethers. Berl. Sitz.-Ber., 5. Juli 1893; Wied. Ann., Bd. 53, p. 135, 1894.
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