1/393,120,000,000 × (500 × 2240)/15 = 1/5,264,800;
or this shows that the density of the ether to give a pressure of 500 tons per square inch would be only 1/5,000,000th of the density of the atmosphere. This value representing a density less than that of the best gaseous _vacua_ is therefore quite consistent with the known fact of the extremely low density of the ether. It follows, therefore, as a mathematical certainty dependent on the recognised principles belonging to gaseous bodies, that the ether could exert a pressure of not less than 500 tons per square inch consistent with such an extremely low density as to harmonize with observation."
If the ether is possessed of a density equal to that shown above, then the density of our original nebula must have been greater than what we have shown it to be. The density we found for it was 1/403,000,000th that of air, or 0·000000002481 of an atmosphere, and 1/5,264,800th is equal to 0·00000019 of an atmosphere; if then we add these two together we get 0·0000001925 of an atmosphere as the density of our nebula. This comes to be very slightly greater than the density of the ether, and shows that the estimate in the foregoing quotation is too high; unless it is asserted that the ether can exert no frictional action at all, which, we believe, no one has ever done; while the absolute temperature of the nebula at the new density would be 0·000053°, which would be a very small addition indeed to the 0·00000068°, we found for it at first. On the other hand, when the nebula was reduced to 29,000,000 miles in diameter the density of the ether would have increased its density from 0·1788, which we showed it then to have, only to 0·17880019 of an atmosphere, which would make no appreciable difference on its temperature, and would be so immensely greater than the 0·00000019 of an atmosphere of the ether that it could hardly be supposed to have any effect in retarding the rotation of so much heavier a body. And should it be found that the density of the ether is 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 less, or even a great deal more, than that shown in the above quotation, it would only have proportionately less effect on our nebula, in every sense, than what we have just shown. We may, therefore, conclude that the introduction of the element ether has not vitiated our operations in any way up till now, and we shall leave it until we have acquired more knowledge of its nature and effects.