Aether and Gravitation

Gravity, light and electricity are brought into a single proposed explanation in William George Hooper's scientific treatise. Writing in 1903, Hooper argues that the aether should have the properties of ordinary matter, including weight, density and elasticity. He takes Newton's rules of reasoning as his starting point and develops his account through discussions of motion, matter, heat and the forces operating in the solar system.

The book's detailed treatment of electrical induction shows how Hooper builds his argument. Drawing on Faraday, he describes charged brass balls and the polarization of particles between them, then connects these processes to his larger conception of the aether. References to Maxwell and other investigators place the discussion among debates about physical explanation. Readers interested in the history of scientific ideas can follow an ambitious attempt to connect laboratory observations with the movements of planets.