Mayer,  Alfred M.  Floating Needles.  London:  Nature, vol 17 #442, April 18, 1878. Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition.  1st appearance in England.  From a lecture by Prof Hassan Aref .

Abstract: The subject was born in 1878 when the American physicist Alfred M. Mayer described experiments he had performed with floating magnets. His results were seized upon by William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) as an illustration of the theory of 'vortex atoms'. Kelvin thought of atoms as vortex equilibria, configurations of identical vortices that rotate steadily without change of shape or form in an underlying 'ether'. This theory was eventually eclipsed by quantum mechanics a quarter century later. In the 1950s quantized, concentrated vortices were predicted to exist in superfluid Helium. In the 1970s these superfluid vortices were observed to form equilibrium patterns such as those considered almost a century before. The better known vortex equilibria have the vortices apparently arranged on concentric circles and have been characterized by 'ring numbers'. There is even a catalog of patterns determined by numerical solution of the equations describing interacting point vortices. In recent years we have found that there is a wealth of equilibria, including completely asymmetric ones for which we have no analytical understanding. This classical subject keeps providing intriguing problems. The lecture will describe the history, various theoretical advances, and many open problems."

Offered with the original front wrapper and 5pp ads; removed from larger bound collection.  $135