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From ancient times, humans have tried to understand the workings of the world around them. The roots of modern physical science go back to the very earliest mechanical devices such as levers and rollers, the mixing of paints and dyes, and the importance of the heavenly bodies in early religious observance and navigation. The physical sciences as we know them today began to emerge as independent academic subjects during the early modern period, in the work of Newton and other 'natural philosophers', and numerous sub-disciplines developed during the centuries that followed. This part of the Cambridge Library Collection is devoted to landmark publications in this area which will be of interest to historians of science concerned with individual scientists, particular discoveries, and advances in scientific method, or with the establishment and development of scientific institutions around the world.

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137 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Physical Sciences

Page 3 of 7

Experimental Researches in Electricity
  • Volume 3
  • Michael Faraday
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    11 October 2012
    First published in:
    1855
  • Originally apprenticed to a bookbinder, Michael Faraday (1791–1867) began to attend Sir Humphrey Davy's chemistry lectures purely out of interest. Although he soon recognised that science would be his vocation, there was no defined career path to follow, and when he applied to Davy for work he was gently told to 'attend to the bookbinding'. It was only after a laboratory explosion in which Davy partially lost his sight that Faraday was taken on as his amanuensis. From this difficult beginning stemmed perhaps the most famous scientific career of the nineteenth century. This three-volume collection of Faraday's papers provides a comprehensive record of a key branch of his work. Volume 3, first published in 1855, includes his landmark paper on the effect of magnetism on light (known now as the Faraday Effect), work on the chemical implications of magnetism, and a fascinating speculation on a link between electricity and gravity.

Catalogue of Books and Papers Relating to Electricity, Magnetism, the Electric Telegraph, etc
  • Including the Ronalds Library
  • Francis Ronalds
  • Edited by Alfred J. Frost
  • Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    18 April 2013
    First published in:
    1880
  • In 1816, Sir Francis Ronalds (1788–1873) became the first physicist to demonstrate the possibility of an electric telegraph. Previously, the only telegraphs were semaphores - cumbersome signal towers capable of sending only two or three words per minute. However, his idea was dismissed by the Admiralty, where senior officials deemed any new telegraphs 'unnecessary'. Although his designs were soon to be superseded by those of the more successful Samuel Morse, Ronalds' devotion to telegraphy never waned; he spent much of his life collecting books on the subject. Upon his death, his collection was left to the Society of Telegraph Engineers, where it would become available to those most in need of it. Covering more than 13,000 titles, and including a short memoir of Ronalds, this book, first published in 1880, is a catalogue of that collection and other relevant works. It remains an invaluable resource for students in the history of science.

Experimental Researches in Electricity
  • Volume 1
  • Michael Faraday
  • Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    11 October 2012
    First published in:
    1849
  • Originally apprenticed to a bookbinder, Michael Faraday (1791–1867) began to attend Sir Humphrey Davy's chemistry lectures purely out of interest. Although he soon recognised that science would be his vocation, there was no defined career path to follow, and when he applied to Davy for work he was gently told to 'attend to the bookbinding'. It was only after a laboratory explosion in which Davy partially lost his sight that Faraday was taken on as his amanuensis. From this difficult beginning stemmed perhaps the most famous scientific career of the nineteenth century. This three-volume collection of Faraday's papers provides a comprehensive record of a key branch of his work. Volume 1, reissued here in a second edition of 1849, covers his early work in electricity and magnetism, including papers on lightning, electric fish, and notes on the elaborate and often beautiful experiments conducted to investigate whether magnetism could produce electricity.

Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen
  • Volume 2
  • Ludwig Boltzmann
  • Edited by Friedrich Hasenöhrl
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    23 August 2012
    First published in:
    1909
  • The Austrian physicist Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann (1844–1906), educated at the University of Vienna, was appointed professor of mathematical physics at the University of Graz in 1869 at the age of only twenty-five. Boltzmann did important work in the fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics; for instance, he contributed to the kinetic theory concerned with molecular speeds in gas. Boltzmann also promoted atomic theory, which at the time was still highly controversial. He was a member of the Imperial Austrian Academy of Sciences from 1885 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1888. This three-volume work, prepared in 1909 by the physicist Fritz Hasenöhrl, one of Boltzmann's students, comprises all his academic publications from 1865 to 1905. Volume 2 contains work from 1875 to 1881 on the thermal conduction of gases, the mechanic theory of heat and its problems, and the friction of gas.

Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen
  • Volume 1
  • Ludwig Boltzmann
  • Edited by Friedrich Hasenöhrl
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    23 August 2012
    First published in:
    1909
  • The Austrian physicist Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann (1844–1906), educated at the University of Vienna, was appointed professor of mathematical physics at the University of Graz in 1869 at the age of only twenty-five. Boltzmann did important work in the fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics; for instance, he contributed to the kinetic theory concerned with molecular speeds in gas. Boltzmann also promoted atomic theory, which at the time was still highly controversial. He was a member of the Imperial Austrian Academy of Sciences from 1885 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1888. This three-volume work, prepared in 1909 by the physicist Fritz Hasenöhrl, one of Boltzmann's students, comprises all his academic publications from 1865 to 1905. Volume 1 contains papers from 1865 to 1874, including work on the movement of electricity, the theory of heat, and atoms in gases.

Mathematical and Physical Papers
  • Volume 3, Elasticity, Heat, Electro-Magnetism
  • William Thomson
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    30 June 2011
    First published in:
    1890
  • William Thomson, first Baron Kelvin (1824–1907), is best known for devising the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature and for his work on the first and second laws of thermodynamics, though throughout his 53-year career as a mathematical physicist and engineer at the University of Glasgow he investigated a wide range of scientific questions in areas ranging from geology to transatlantic telegraph cables. The extent of his work is revealed in the six volumes of his Mathematical and Physical Papers, published from 1882 until 1911, consisting of articles that appeared in scientific periodicals from 1841 onwards. Volume 3, published in 1890, includes articles from the period 1858–1890, the majority of which relate to questions around elasticity and heat, and are accompanied by extensive appendices.

Mathematical and Physical Papers
  • Volume 2
  • William Thomson
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    30 June 2011
    First published in:
    1884
  • William Thomson, first Baron Kelvin (1824–1907), is best known for devising the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature and for his work on the first and second laws of thermodynamics, though throughout his 53-year career as a mathematical physicist and engineer at the University of Glasgow he investigated a wide range of scientific questions in areas ranging from geology to transatlantic telegraph cables. The extent of his work is revealed in the six volumes of his Mathematical and Physical Papers, published from 1882 until 1911, consisting of articles that appeared in scientific periodicals from 1841 onwards. Volume 2, published in 1884, includes articles from the period 1853–1856, and puts a special emphasis on the issue of the development of electric telegraphy. Also included is Thomson's Bakerian Lecture on the electro-dynamic qualities of metals.

Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen
  • Volume 3
  • Ludwig Boltzmann
  • Edited by Friedrich Hasenöhrl
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    23 August 2012
    First published in:
    1909
  • The Austrian physicist Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann (1844–1906), educated at the University of Vienna, was appointed professor of mathematical physics at the University of Graz in 1869 at the age of only twenty-five. Boltzmann did important work in the fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics; for instance, he contributed to the kinetic theory concerned with molecular speeds in gas. Boltzmann also promoted atomic theory, which at the time was still highly controversial. He was a member of the Imperial Austrian Academy of Sciences from 1885 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1888. This three-volume work, prepared in 1909 by the physicist Fritz Hasenöhrl, one of Boltzmann's students, comprises all his academic publications from 1865 to 1905. Volume 3 contains papers from 1882 to 1905, including work on gas diffusion and thermodynamics.

The Weather Book
  • A Manual of Practical Meteorology
  • Robert Fitzroy
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1863
  • Robert Fitzroy (1805–65) is best remembered as the commander of HMS Beagle who took on Charles Darwin as the Ship's naturalist, but his most important scientific contribution was probably the establishment of the Meteorological Office in 1854. Convinced that falling barometric pressure was an indicator of storms, he had barometers set up at ports around the coast, so that boats would be aware of impending bad weather, and later had reports telegraphed to his office in London for collation; he invented the term 'forecasting the weather'. This work, published in 1863, gives an account of observations by himself and others, experiments, and proposals for future developments. Almost unbelievably, the Government declared that Fitzroy was exceeding his remit: he was instructed to restrict himself to collecting data, and it is believed that the depression he suffered at this setback was one of the factors which led to his suicide in 1865.

Electrons
  • Or the Nature and Properties of Negative Electricity
  • Oliver Lodge
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    12 July 2012
    First published in:
    1906
  • The discovery in 1897 of the electron, the first subatomic particle, led to rapid advances in our knowledge of atomic structure, the solid state, radioactivity and chemistry. It also raised major questions. Was the electron point-like or did it have structure? Was there a positive electron? What did the positive part of the atom look like? Did a hydrogen atom have one electron or a thousand? Published in 1906, this expository account by leading physicist Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) examines the spectacular phenomena of cathode rays in evacuated tubes, the fixed units of charge observed in electrolysis, and the puzzling regularities in atomic spectra. Lodge knew most of the pioneers in the field, and his enthusiastic descriptions of their work and clear analyses of the problems as well as successes paint a vivid picture of the excitement of cutting-edge research and the scientific process in action.

Climate and Time in their Geological Relations
  • A Theory of Secular Changes of the Earth's Climate
  • James Croll
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1875
  • This first book by James Croll (1821–90), published in 1875, includes many of the original geophysical theories that he had formulated throughout the early years of his career. A self-educated amateur, Croll obtained work at the Glasgow Andersonian Museum, which gave him leisure time to pursue his scientific interests. The fluidity of scientific disciplines at the time allowed him to virtually invent the field of geophysics, and his unique insights united ideas previously thought unconnected, such as using physics to explore the causes of the glacial epochs, climatic changes and the circulation and temperature of ocean currents. Croll, whose Stellar Evolution and its Relations to Geological Time is also reissued in this series, later became a Fellow of the Royal Society and of St Andrew's University, but (possibly because of his non-scientific background) he writes in a style which makes his works accessible to a lay readership.

Stellar Evolution and its Relations to Geological Time
  • James Croll
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1889
  • James Croll (1821–90) was self-educated, but on gaining a post at the Glagow Andersonian Museum had the time to explore his academic interests. Despite his lack of formal training, he quickly became a leading light of the Scottish Royal Geological Society. Using physics, mathematics, geology and geography he explored the pressing scientific questions of the time. In this, his final book, published in 1889, Croll divides his focus between 'the probable origin of meteorites, comets and nebulae', the age of the sun and the impact of the pre-nebular condition of the universe on star evolution. Using both proven facts and theories, Croll explores the ideas and hypotheses then current, frequently crediting colleagues for their work, and building on it. Croll, who from humble beginnings became a Fellow of The Royal Society and of St Andrew's University, writes in a style which makes his works accessible to a lay readership.

Ether and Reality
  • A Series of Discourses on the Many Functions of the Ether of Space
  • Oliver Lodge
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    09 August 2012
    First published in:
    1925
  • Among the widely agreed facts of physics in the late nineteenth century was the existence of luminiferous ether: the medium through which light was thought to travel. Theorised to be a highly rarefied substance, the ether accounted for the movement of light, gravity and even heat across a vacuum. It also had great implications for spiritualism. Where thought was not proven to be a result of chemistry in the brain, the presence of ether allowed for the idea that cognition and emotion might exist independently of a physical body. First published in 1925, this monograph by the eminent physicist and ether advocate Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) was written for the non-scientific reader. With a focus on straightforward explanations rather than mathematical theory, his book still represents a fascinating introduction to the topic today.

My Philosophy
  • Representing my Views on the Many Functions of the Ether of Space
  • Oliver Lodge
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1933
  • In his study of optics, Newton postulated that light, like sound, must be carried through a medium, and that this medium must exist even in a vacuum. By the late nineteenth century, this theoretical substance was known as the luminiferous ether. But the ether theory faced several problems. If the earth moved through ether, there would be ether wind, and light travelling against the flow would move more slowly than light travelling with it. That was soon disproven. Nor could the ether be stationary: by 1905, Einstein's work on relativity had disproven absolute motion. In this fascinating advocacy of ether, first published in 1933, Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) fiercely defends ether against the new physics, arguing for solid models over mathematical abstractions, and urging new ether experiments. With in-depth references to Einstein, Jeans and Eddington, this book is still relevant to students in the history of science.

Past Years
  • An Autobiography
  • Oliver Lodge
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    12 July 2012
    First published in:
    1931
  • Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) was a physicist instrumental in the discovery of electromagnetic waves: the basis of today's radio and X-ray technology. He came from humble beginnings. After suffering at the hands of violent masters and schoolmates during his childhood, Lodge went on to teach physics and chemistry to young women at Bedford College in London. Later, he was appointed professor of physics at the University of Liverpool, and became known for his public lectures on a vast range of topics, from the comic faults of phonographs to the medical applications of X-rays. Whether seeing the cells of a voltaic battery in a pile of plates or appreciating the enunciation of Alexander Graham Bell, Lodge had a warm enthusiasm that shines through in this touching autobiography, first published in 1931. It remains ideal for general readers as well as students in the history of science.

The Scientific Papers of James Clerk Maxwell
  • Volume 2
  • James Clerk Maxwell
  • Edited by W. D. Niven
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1890
  • The publication in 1890 of the two-volume Scientific Papers of James Clerk Maxwell, edited by W. D. Niven, was one of the two objects of a committee formed 'for the purpose of securing a fitting memorial of him' (the other object being the commissioning of a marble bust for the Cavendish Laboratory). Before his death in 1879 at the age of 48, Clerk Maxwell had made major contributions to many areas of theoretical physics and mathematics, not least his discoveries in the fields of electromagnetism and of the kinetic theory of gases, which have been regarded as laying the foundations of all modern physics. He is generally considered the third most important physicist of all time, after Newton and Einstein. These collected shorter works, beginning with a paper written at the age of 15, show the wide range of Clerk Maxwell's interests across mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Lectures on Natural Philosophy
  • The Result of Many Years' Practical Experience of the Facts Elucidated
  • Margaret Bryan
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    12 October 2011
    First published in:
    1806
  • Margaret Bryan (c.1760–1816) taught natural science to women at a time when it was largely the preserve of men. She ran a boarding school for girls in Blackheath, London, from 1795 to 1806, and the curriculum included mathematics and sciences - rarely offered to young women. She published her lecture notes on astronomy in 1797, and after their positive reception she decided to undertake another volume of lectures. This resulting work, published in 1806, is a collection of Bryan's lectures on 'natural philosophy', containing thirteen chapters on topics such as mechanics, pneumatics and acoustics, magnetism and electricity. Each chapter provides illustrations, and at the end of the volume there is an appendix with astronomical and geographical questions and exercises, as well as a scientific glossary. These lectures provide a glimpse into the little-known world of women's education towards the end of the Georgian period.

Studies in Spectrum Analysis
  • Norman Lockyer
  • Published online:
    05 August 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1878
  • Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (1836–1920) was one of the pioneers of astronomical spectroscopy and became one of the most influential astronomers of his time. His main interest was sun spectroscopy, which led him to discover helium independently of Pierre Janssen, a scientist who posited its existence in the same year. In addition to his work in astronomy, Lockyer was one of the founders of Nature and was the editor of the journal for its first fifty years. This is the second edition of Lockyer's guide to spectroscopy, first published in 1878. It begins with the basics of spectroscopy such as the physics of waves and the method of observing spectra. Later chapters describe the history of the method and some of Lockyer's own experiments and findings. This book is a fascinating part of the history of astronomy, giving insights into the development of a method vital to the field.

Popular Lectures and Addresses
  • Volume 1, Constitution of Matter
  • William Thomson
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    30 June 2011
    First published in:
    1889
  • William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824–1907), was educated at Glasgow and Cambridge. While only in his twenties, he was awarded the University of Glasgow's chair in natural philosophy, which he was to hold for over fifty years. He is best known through the Kelvin, the unit of measurement of temperature named after him in consequence of his development of an absolute scale of temperature. These volumes collect together Kelvin's lectures for a wider audience. In a convivial but never condescending style, he outlines a range of scientific subjects to audiences of his fellow scientists. The range of topics covered reflects Kelvin's broad interests and his stature as one of the most eminent of Victorian scientists. Volume 1, published in 1889, includes talks about the constitution of matter and basic topics in physics such as light, heat, electricity and gravity.

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Humphry Davy
  • Volume 1
  • John Davy
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1836
  • Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829) was a hugely influential chemist, inventor, and public lecturer who is recognised as one of the first professional scientists. His apprenticeship to an apothecary in 1795 led to his introduction to chemical experiments. A chance meeting with Davis Giddy in 1798 introduced Davy into the wider scientific community, and in 1800 he was invited to a post at the Royal Institution, where he lectured to great acclaim. This two-volume memoir was published by his brother, Dr John Davy, in 1836, in response to Paris' biography of 1831, authorised by Lady Davy (also reissued in this series). John Davy had additional papers in his possession, and felt that Paris had failed to convey Sir Humphry's character as a man and philosopher. Volume 1 deals with his education and apprenticeship, work at the Royal Institution, and European travels. The author quotes extensively from his brother's writings.

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