Description
Product ID: | 9789813147133 |
Product Form: | Hardback |
Country of Manufacture: | GB |
Title: | Gustav Robert Kirchhoff's Treatise "On The Theory Of Light Rays" (1882): English Translation, Analysis And Commentary |
Authors: | Author: Klaus Hentschel, Ning Yan Zhu |
Page Count: | 168 |
Subjects: | History of science, History of science, Optical physics, Optical physics, Germany, c 1800 to c 1900 |
Description: | The 1882 paper by the mathematical physicist Gustav Robert Kirchhoff on diffraction theory is still being discussed to this day, but has never been translated into English. This volume contains the first English translation of the Kirchhoff treatise, as well as background and commentary on it. Included are a biographical introduction to Kirchhoff's life, an analysis of the reception to Kirchhoff's paper through the ages, a discussion on why Kirchhoff's theory manages to produce accurate predictions in spite of being "wrong", and views on the theory as well as its predecessor and subsequent developments. This anthology will make all English-speaking scientists, engineers, historians, and interested laymen aware of the great fecundity of Kirchhoff's thought and historical context. 'Although the editors admit that they cannot present an unequivocal explanation for the strange resilience of KirchhoffaEURO (TM)s flawed theory, their book is an admirable effort to meet this challenge ... It is a concerted effort to resolve a persistent riddle in the history of physics - and an example of how expert knowledge from different specialties may be focused on a target of common interest.'ISIS JournalThe 1882 paper by the mathematical physicist Gustav Robert Kirchhoff on diffraction theory is still being discussed to this day, but has never been translated into English. This volume contains the first English translation of the Kirchhoff treatise, as well as background and commentary on it. Included are a biographical introduction to Kirchhoff's life, an analysis of the reception to Kirchhoff's paper through the ages, a discussion on why Kirchhoff's theory manages to produce accurate predictions in spite of being 'wrong', and views on the theory as well as its predecessor and subsequent developments. This anthology will make all English-speaking scientists, engineers, historians, and interested laymen aware of the great fecundity of Kirchhoff's thought and historical context. |
Imprint Name: | World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd |
Publisher Name: | World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd |
Country of Publication: | GB |
Publishing Date: | 2016-10-18 |