CHAPTER XXVI
A CURIOUS PROBLEM IN ATTRACTION
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S the earth has no longer any attraction for bodies in the car," thought William, "or rather, as it can produce no change in their position in the car, it must follow that if there were any loose objects here they would be attracted toward me and follow me around wherever I went. The car itself would n't attract them, because, the car being almost spherical, the attraction would be the same on all sides, and so neutralize itself. The attraction of each side of the car is balanced by that of the opposite side, and the attraction of the floor balances that of the ceiling. It is true that the furniture on the floor would pull bodies downward, but the furniture on the ceiling would pull them upward to the same extent.
"Consequently, if there were a loose stone in the
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