________________
204
JAIN PHILOSOPIIY & MODERN SCIENCE
circumference of which goes on increasing As one drop follows another, so, also one circle does another. They are all concentric circles increasing progressively There is a definite relation in the increase because their motion is identical An now, the boat is released but, the oars are not in use, yet. The boatman uses a long pole to get the boat into the stream The water still continues to drop from the oars but now the drops do not fall at the same place. And hence, the circles are no longer concentric but move forward The scientists said that, just as the position of the boat has no influence on the velocity of the light The ray of light would continue to travel at the rate of 186000 miles per second. A question now arises that,,just as the velocity of the motion of circle in the water is diminished (due to the resistance of water) does the ether not resist the motion of light rays? But the tests proved, that the velocity of light was constant whether it came from far or near It does not happen that the light coming from a source only a million miles away is travelling faster than the light coming from a source thousands of light years away Why is this? To this their reply was that the resistance of ether was so small that it had no appreciable influence on the velocity of light For all practical purposes, the resistance is zero and the velocity of even, the cosmic bodies fleating in the ether is not affected by its appearance Now, it is illogical to conceive that, ether is material, possessing elasticity, density and
