JF Ptak Science Books // Blog Bookstore

KLEIN, Felix. "Über die Differentialgesetze für die Erhaltung von Impuls und Energie in der Einsteinschen Gravitationstheorie", (“ the differential laws for the conservation of momentum and energy in the Einstein theory of gravitation.”) published by Nachrichten von der Königliche Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen Mathematisch-Physikalische Klasse, 1918). 19pp. $500

In original paper wrappers. The interior is in near fine condition, but the spine is gone and the wrappers have separated from the body.

“In an extensive memoir [this paper]...[Klein] attempted to unify the different forms of the differential laws for the conservation of energy and momentum that could be found in the papers of Einstein, Lorentz and Hilbert. The important tool which he used in doing this was the theory of invariants....Felix Kelin's work is closely connected with the studies of Emmy Noether concerning the relations between symmetry properties and the conservation laws...” Jagdish Mehra, Einstein, Hilbert, and The Theory of Gravitation: Historical Origins of General Relativity Theory. Reidel, 1974, pp 46-49

“I must also not omit to thank Miss Noether for encouraging participation in my new work, where the mathematical ideas which I used in the adaptation to the physical question for the integral I have in general been worked out, and will in the near future in these news be published.”--from this Klein paper, (that publication being Emmy Noether “Invariante Variationsprobleme”, Gottinger Nachrichten (1918), pp. 235–257 (presented by F. Klein at the meeting of 26 July 1918—the paper was dedicated to Klein).

“This work, which has for too long been neglected, includes some interesting analysis regarding the gravitational energy-momentum expressions of Einstein, Hilbert, Lorentz and Weyl. The topic of gravitational energy momentum and its localization had been at that time—and, notwithstanding considerable progress, still remains a century later—an unsettled issue.”--from the 2019 translation of this paper by Chiang-Mei Chen, James M. Nester, and Walter Vogel.

Sources:

Brading, Katherine A.:"A note on general relativity, energy conservation, and Noether’s theorems", in The Universe of General Relativity (Proceedings of the Conference on the History of General Relativity, Amsterdam 2002), Jean Eisenstaedt and Anne J. Kox, eds., Einstein Studies, vol. 11, Boston: Birkhauser, 2005, pp. 125–135

Kosmann-Schwarzbach, Y., The Noether Theorems: Invariance and Conservation Laws in the Twentieth Century (Springer, New York, 2011).

Rowe, David E.: "The Goettingen response to general relativity and Emmy Noether’s theorems", in Gray, Jeremy J., ed. The Symbolic Universe, Geometry and Physics 1890–1930 (Milton Keynes, 1996), OxfordNew York: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp 189–233.

Note:

There is an inscription---quite faded but legible--”G. Mie” on the top right corner of the offprint cover. I'm quite sure that this must be the physicist Gustav Mie (1868-1957). “Mie's main contributions to science, in addition to his oft-cited light-scattering paper, require recognition. He derived inductively the Maxwellian edifice from the empirical reality, a pursuit that still occupied Mie in his 80th year when the last and revised edition of his Handbook of Electricity and Magnetism was published.'4 His persistent search for a unified theory encompassing field and matter, although unsuccessful, nevertheless stimulated the work of other notable physicists such as Born'5 and Infeld. Other important pursuits by Mie included research into the dielectric constants of various materials using electromagnetic waves; the solution of the problem of the anomalous dispersion of water leading to the determination of the characteristic dielectric constant of that liquid; and x-ray crystallographic studies of hydrated naphthalenes, anthracenes, and polyoxymethylenes and of liquid crystals.”-- “Gustav Mie: the person”, by Pedro Lilienfeld, Applied Optics, 20 November 1991 p 4696.

The Raman Effect (Nobel Prize, 1930)

RAMAN, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata, and K. S. Krishnan, “The Production of New Radiations by Light Scattering. Part I” , in Proceedings of the Royal Society A 122 pp. 23-35, 1929, in the volume of vi, 719, xxii, vipp. Beautifully bound in leather and boards, marbled page edges. Very slightly ex-lib with edge stamps and stamp on title, otherwise this is a fresh, clean copy. A handsome volume even with the page edge stamps. [There was no”part II” to this paper.] $350

Also bound with A.S. Eddington, “The Charge of an Electron”, pp 358-369 and A.H. Wilson, “Perturbation Theory in Quantum Mechanics”, pp 589-598. Leading the volume is an interesting review of recent work by Ernest Rutherford, “Anniversary Address...:, pp 1-23.

This is an expanded description of the Raman effect, the work for which Raman received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 “for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him” (Nobel site), “that when light traverses a transparent material, some of the light that is deflected changes in wavelength...(a) phenomenon...called Raman scattering the result being the Raman effect”.--Encyclopedia Britannica

Raman publishes his paper for the first time a few months earlier in the Indian Journal of Physics, which led to a huge run of publications on the discovery—at least 160 in the 1928-1929 period according to the bibliography on papers published on the Raman effect “Bibliography of 150 Papers on the Raman Effect, 1928-1929”, by Dr. A. S. Ganesan. Of the 160 papers 12 are by Raman, and it was in the paper offered here (#62 in the bibliography) where he offers material not addressed in his previous papers.

”After Compton had discovered the Compton effect Heisenberg (1925) pointed out ...that this ought to be true for any em radiation, including visible light. That it was so in practice was shown in 1928 by...Raman...Raman spectra proved to be useful in determining some of the fine details of molecular structure.”--Asimov Chronology

“One of the most convincing proofs of the quantum theory of light.”--R.W. Wood

“In the Raman effect, a small fraction of light (approximately 1 in 10 million photons) is scattered through inelastic scattering, in which the energy of the scattered photon is not conserved. The Raman effect demonstrates the wave–particle duality of light a bit like the Compton effect, but the Raman effect differs from the Compton effect in the nature of the photons used (Raman uses visible light and Compton uses much higher energy X-rays) and the effect on the electron that scatters the light (the Raman effect changes the energy level of within an atom or molecule while the Compton effect ejects the electron from the material through the photoelectric effect).”

“Optical studies remained his chief concern, however. With his associates Raman studied the scattering of light of available frequencies by a number of substances, particularly fluids. In April 1923 Raman’s associate K. R. Ramanathan observed a weak secondary radiation, shifted in wavelength along with normally scattered light, which was attributed to “fluorescence.” S. Venkateswaran then noticed that highly purified glycerin does not appear blue under sunlight, but rather radiates a strongly polarized, brilliant green light.

“Raman and K. S. Krishnan then undertook to isolate the effect under impeccable experimental conditions. They employed complementary light filters placed in the paths of the incident and scattered light, respectively, and observed a “new type of secondary radiation” from the scattering of focused beams of sunlight in both carefully purified liquid and dust-free air. They reported this discovery in a letter to Nature in February 1928. Raman then refined the experiment by using a mercury arc as the source of light; the effect was thus clearly seen for the first time on 28 February 1928 and was reported to the Science Congress at Bangalore the following month. The secondary radiation showed several lines shifted toward longer wavelengths, the shifts being characteristic of the substances being examined, and indicated the absorption of energy by the scattering molecule—the precise effect that had been predicted by A. Smekal in 1923. G. Landsberg and L. Mandelshtam, in the U.S.S.R., independently observed the same phenomenon in quartz, shortly after Raman and Krishnan made their discovery, but Raman’s account of the effect reflected a much more detailed investigation. In 1929 Raman was knighted in recognition of his work, and the following year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics.”--Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography

Unified Field Theory (1927)

EINSTEIN, Albert. “Zu Kaluzas Theorie des Zusammenhanges von Gravitation und Elektrizität - Erste Mittelung”, pp 23-25; with in the same issue, “Zu Kaluzas Theorie des Zusammenhanges von Gravitation und Elektrizität - Zweite Mitteilung”, pp 26-30, in Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Physikalisch-mathematische Klasse VI, Berlin 1927, pp. 17–30, February 17, 1927). Individual issue in original wrappers.

• Wrappers are a bit sunned along the edges, otherwise fine. $500.00

Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza (1885-1954) was a German mathematician and physicist known for the Kaluza–Klein theory (“the two pioneers of unified field theory”, A Pais, Subtle is the Lord, pp 329). Einstein thought very highly of Kaluza (according to MacTutor) and in 1921 encouraged him to publish his paper in which he solved Einstein's equations of general relativity by using field equations in five-dimensional space-time. (Nordstrom had proposed “to use a five dimensional space for the unification of em with a scalar gravitational field” (A.Pais) publishing in Phys Zeit 15, p 504, 1914.) Of Kaluza's work Einstein writes to Lorentz: ”It appears that the union of gravitation and Maxwell's theory is achieved in a completely satisfactory way by the five-dimensional theory (Kaluza-Klein-Foch)”--Pais, Subtle..., p 333.

Again according to Pais, Einstein wrote to Kaluza in 1921 saying “the formal unity of your theory is startling” (Subtle..., p330) after which he communicated the K paper to the Prussian Academy. It was in these two papers presented above that Einstein wrote on Kaluza's work—this some four years after an earlier paper Einstein wrote with Grommer. (Einstein would return to Kaluza in a paper with Peter Bergmann, “On a generalization of Kaluza's theory of electricity” in the Annals of Mathematics, Vol. 39, no. 3, in July 1938 and which he would address again in Science in 1931 with Meyer and in the Prussian Academy the same year.)

“[Kaluaza] was teaching at Königsberg in April 1919 when he wrote to Einstein and told him about his ideas to unify Einstein's theory of gravity and Maxwell's theory of light. Einstein encouraged him to publish his highly original ideas which he did in 1921 in his paper on the unity problem of physics...Kaluza's ideas involved the introduction of a fifth dimension and, although he has been criticised for introducing this as a purely mathematical idea, his work is important and was explored by others...Kaluza is remembered for this in Kaluza-Klein (named after the mathematician Oskar Klein) field theory, which involved field equations in five-dimensional space. The theory, initially a popular topic of research, quickly lost favour with the introduction of quantum mechanics.”--MacTutor, St. Andrew's Math History.

“As is so often the case, string theory arose from a collection of discredited ideas... When string theory became mainstream, physicists realised that these early insights were extraordinarily prescient. The story begins in 1919 with a little known Polish mathematician, Theodor Kaluza. Inspired by Einstein’s revolutionary ideas, he attempted to overthrow a central tenet of physics. “What if there are extra dimensions we just can’t see?” he asked. Working alone, he attempted to incorporate a hidden dimension into Einstein’s model for gravity. Unsurprisingly, his five-dimensional theory had more equations than the usual four-dimensional approach. Looking closely at the extra equations he had found, Kaluza spotted something remarkable. They were precisely Maxwell’s equations governing the electromagnetic field...”--”Whystringtheory” (supported by Oxford and the Royal Society)

The Invention of the Scanning Electron Microscope (1935)

Max Knoll, “Aufladepotentiel und Sekundäremission elektronenbestrahlter Körper”, an article in Zeitschrift für technische Physik, volume 16, 1935, occupying pp 467–475 of 657pp of text. The paper includes 14 text images, five of which are reproductions of imagery made by the instrument.

Rebound in black cloth that is simple but elegant (really quite a lovely job); untrimmed. Small library rubber stamp on the back of the title page (the Technische Hochschule in Danzig, now Gdansk Technical University). $500

• First paper (“Static potential and secondary emission of bodies under electron irradiation” ) describing the concept of a Scanning Electron Microscope. See C. W. Oatle, “The early history of the scanning electron microscope”, Journal of Applied Physics 53, R1 (1982).

“The earliest known work describing the concept of a Scanning Electron Microscope was by M. Knoll (1935)” – Bernie C Breton, “The Early History and Development of The Scanning Electron Microscope”.

“Fundamental research by many physicists in the first quarter of the 20th century suggested that cathode rays (i.e., electrons) might be used in some way to increase microscope resolution. French physicist Louis de Broglie in 1924 opened the way with the suggestion that electron beams might be regarded as a form of wave motion. De Broglie derived the formula for their wavelength, which showed that, for example, for electrons accelerated by 60,000 volts (or 60 kilovolts [k]), the effective wavelength would be 0.05 angstrom (Å)—i.e., 1/100,000 that of green light. If such waves could be used in a microscope, then a considerable increase in resolution would result. In 1926 it was demonstrated that magnetic or electrostatic fields could serve as lenses for electrons or other charged particles. This discovery initiated the study of electron optics, and by 1931 German electrical engineers Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska had devised a two-lens electron microscope that produced images of the electron source. In 1933 a primitive electron microscope was built that imaged a specimen rather than the electron source, and in 1935 Knoll produced a scanned image of a solid surface.”--Encyclopedia Britannica

 

Scarce Spaceflight and ICBM Publications (1961-1964)

 

Proposal for Development and Preparation of Space Vehicle Design Criteria and Design Criteria Documentation. 7 February 1964. Submitted to Systems Engineering Group, Air Force Systems Command, USAF, Wright-Patterson AFB.  $225.00

Volume 1, Technical. TRW Space Technology Laboratories.

11x8.5”, 4 sections: 18, 22, 29, 121, 20pp. NO copies located in WorldCat for this title.

The table of contents states the following, though there is one long contribution that is unstated and one that is not included:

“Section 8. Related Publications.” 18pp

A1—“Overall Systems Design Criteria.” 22pp.

A2—Minuteman Structural Design Criteria. (Cover sheet “(Unclassified) Minuteman Structural Design Criteria”), 29pp

A3—“Attitude Control of Earth Satellites” [not bound in this collection]

A4—“Energy Sources and Power Conversion,” 20pp

Between A2 and A3 is the following, with a separate title page:

Whitford, R.K. Design of Attitude Control Systems for Earth Satellites, 30 June 1961. 2313-0001-RU-000 Space Technology Laboratories. 121pp. Plus two appendices, A+B, 10pp+8pp. NO copies located in WorldCat. Scarce.

This is a little bibliographically complicated. The front wrapper states that this is “volume 1”, though it has the feel of a volume 2, particularly since it begins with “Section 8”. Some of the contents seem to be stand-alones (as with the Minuteman and the Whitford papers), though the Whitford is the only paper with a title page.

Bound in a TRW paper wrapper with folding clips; all sections three-ring hole-punched.

Rarity or scarcity: NO copies located in WORLDCAT/OCLC (NYPL system).

• NO copies located in the massive database for worldwide library holdings, WorldCat. (“WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of 17,900 libraries in 123 countries and territories that participate in the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. The subscribing member libraries collectively maintain WorldCat's database, the world's largest bibliographic database.”--Wikipedia)

Condition:  VG, a 7.5 on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being “new”.  Nice and fresh.  $250

• (Condition grading is compared to the condition of the publication when it was new;  to give a condition quote that states "good for its age" comparing something to a fluid state without a common denominator is almost without value, so the publication is compared to its condition when it was first published.)

Rare Document on a Liberal-esque Position on Girls and Women by the Founder of the CIA (1930)

 

Author: Donovan, William J.

Title: Girl Scouts as a National Asset, Radio Talk of Colonel William J. Donovan over WJZ, October 31, 1930, at 2:30pm.

Year: 1930

Publisher: original carbon copies (?)

Pages and Size: 11”x 8.5”, 4 lvs, approximately 800 words.

Condition: VG/Fine, a 7.5 on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being “new”. Nice and fresh. 

•  (Condition grading is compared to the condition of the publication when it was new; to give a condition quote that states "good for its age" comparing something to a fluid state without a common denominator is almost without value, so the publication is compared to its condition when it was first published.)

Interesting 800-word radio address by the head of the OSS and founding father and patron saint of the CIA on the importance of teaching leadership skills to young girls and the role of the Girl Scouts in bringing home that mission. The address was made on WJZ which at the time (and by 1927) was the flagship station of NBC Blue (which had purchased the station in 1923 from RCA and which would become ABC in 1942), and seems to me to be very modern of the 57-year old Col. Donovan. Although he maintains that the female's “stronghold” was home and motherhood, he declared that “a highly speed civilization (will) call upon her for many other capacities and activities”.

“Any organization that can fit America's girlhood for true American womanhood is a nation's asset.”

“The Scout movement [begun in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low] meets a demand for social education and training in leadership at a period in the girl's life when that sort of training is most vital” he writes.

“The Nation today demands that women be as well trained and as fully adapted to the national life as men”, which to me appears to be more a more liberated position than most significant men would have in 1930 (and beyond). “The scout troop plan gives the individual girl a sense of duty, a consciousness of ability, an ideal of courage and a recognition of he necessity of remaining an individual while she functions in a group, at the same time making the group achievement greater because of her individual contribution” he continues.

Provenance: Library of Congress Pamphlet Collection (though there are no markings attesting to that, the document did come with others from that collection). On the bottom of the back of the first page is a penciled annotation, “Gift/Author/Dec 5 1930”, which means Gen. Donovan gave this to the LC at that time.

Rare document. I can also find no trace of it using the normal channels. Perhaps there is a record of Donovan's opinions on this matter deep in other sources, but not being expert in this area I would not know if that was the case or not.