DOC. 20 THEORETICAL ATOMISM 245
of radiation from hot bodies and the law of
specific
heats of solids. But the results
[19]
of the
most recent
experiments
demonstrate that the kinetic molecular
theory
holds
less
exactly
for
oscillating
structures
the faster these oscillate and the lower the
temperature.
Without
exception, contemporary physicists
assume
that the laws of
[20]
mechanics do
not
hold for
rapid oscillatory
motions of small
masses.
All such efforts
notwithstanding,
no one
has
yet
succeeded
in
modifying
the foundations of mechanics
in
such
a
way
that
they
could do
justice
to
these observations
as
well.
The
theoretical
investigations
carried
out
so
far
start out
from Planck's
theory
of
radiation; they
have
certainly
led
to
useful formulas but
not to
a
complete
theoretical
understanding (cf. [21]
Article
10).