Showing papers in "Physics Bulletin in 1985"
TL;DR: Halzen and Martin this article conjecture the part that fashion plays in the choice of topics for physics books and conjecture that the fashion plays a role in the selection of topics as well.
Abstract: Francis Halzen and Alan D Martin 1984 Chichester: John Wiley xvi + 396 pp price £23.95 ISBN 0 471 88741 2 It is interesting to conjecture the part that fashion plays in the choice of topics for physics books. Not so long ago special relativity seemed to attract authors and publishers – several books appeared in quick succession.
620 citations
TL;DR: A review of a well-known and trusted work such as Nye's book is difficult, as it is 28 years since it first appeared in hardback form and it is difficult to find a good review.
Abstract: J F Nye 1985 Clarendon Press: Oxford University Press xvii + 329 pp price £15 (paperback) ISBN 0 19 851165 5 A review of a well-known and trusted work such as this is difficult. It is 28 years since Professor Nye's book first appeared in hardback form.
483 citations
TL;DR: Cheng and Li as discussed by the authors present a summary of gauge theories in particle physics, intended for advanced graduate students and research workers in the field, presupposing both a knowledge of elementary particle phenomenology and of quantum field theory at the level taught in first-year postgraduate lecture courses.
Abstract: Ta-Pei Cheng and Ling-Fong Li 1984 Clarendon Press: Oxford University Press xi + 536 pp price £35 (£15 paperback) ISBN 0 19 851956 7 Hdbk, 0 19 851961 3Pbk This book is an excellent summary of gauge theories in particle physics, intended for advanced graduate students and research workers in the field. It presupposes both a knowledge of elementary particle phenomenology and of quantum field theory at the level taught in first-year postgraduate lecture courses.
346 citations
TL;DR: Kibble's book has now reached its third edition as mentioned in this paper, which shows it remains a popular text, and changes in content from the second edition are in the form of small improvements.
Abstract: T W B Kibble 1985 Harlow: Longman xvii + 310 pp price £9.50 (paperback) ISBN 0 582 45023 3 That Professor Kibble's book has now reached its third edition shows it remains a popular text. Changes in content from the second edition are in the form of small improvements.
161 citations
TL;DR: Hariharan as mentioned in this paper provides a self-contained treatment of the principles, techniques and applications of optical holography with particular emphasis on recent developments with a wide range of topics at a level suitable for both the student and research worker.
Abstract: P Hariharan 1984 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press xii + 319 pp price £35 ISBN 0 521 24348 3 It is the declared aim of the author of this book to provide a 'self-contained treatment of the principles, techniques and applications of optical holography with particular emphasis on recent developments'. He has covered a wide range of topics in this expanding field at a level which is suitable for both the student and research worker.
74 citations
TL;DR: FeFeynman as mentioned in this paper is a racy, refreshing and, at times, outrageous collection of reminiscences by one of the world's greatest physicists, Nobel prizewinner Richard Feynman.
Abstract: Richard P Feynman 1985 London: Norton 350 pp price £14.50 ISBN 0 393 01921 7 This is a racy, refreshing and, at times, outrageous collection of reminiscences by one of the world's greatest physicists, Nobel prizewinner Richard Feynman. A gifted storyteller, he shares with us his huge zest for furiously 'figuring things out'.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the present-day analyst has recourse to a wide range of methods for exploring the physical and chemical nature of matter, including X-ray spectrometric analysis, which is based upon the principle that when a specimen is suitably excited by electrons or x-rays, it emits xrays which are characteristic of the types and concentrations of atoms within it, and thus provides the basis for quantitative analytical technique.
Abstract: John C Russ 1984 Sevenoaks: Butterworth 308 pp price £35 ISBN 0 408 11031 7 The present-day analyst has recourse to a wide range of methods for exploring the physical and chemical nature of matter. X-ray spectrometric analysis is based upon the principle that when a specimen is suitably excited by electrons or x-rays, it emits x-rays which are characteristic of the types and concentrations of atoms within it, and thus provides the basis for a quantitative analytical technique.
56 citations
TL;DR: Hilger and Schenck as discussed by the authors used local fields and hyperfine interactions to study the muon spin motion, a technique with which the author has been associated throughout its gradual emergence over the past 15 years.
Abstract: A Schenck 1985 Bristol: Adam Hilger viii + 325 pp price £39 (IOP members' price £31.20) ISBN 0 85274 551 6 Nuclear physics has been a fertile breeding ground for techniques with which to study the properties of solids – in particular local fields and hyperfine interactions. This book concerns the study of muon spin motion, a technique with which the author has been associated throughout its gradual emergence over the past 15 years
29 citations
TL;DR: Petley as discussed by the authors examines the present state of our physical knowledge, mostly from the experimental viewpoint, and in doing so takes the reader to the frontiers of what can meaningfully be measured.
Abstract: B W Petley 1984 Bristol: Adam Hilger x + 346 pp price £28.50 (IOP members' price £22.80) ISBN 0 85274 427 7 This book examines the present state of our physical knowledge, mostly from the experimental viewpoint, and in doing so takes the reader to the frontiers of what can meaningfully be measured. Dimensioned quantities, obviously, cannot be measured more precisely than the SI units can be realised in practice.
21 citations
TL;DR: Henisch as mentioned in this paper showed that the basic principles of metal-semiconductor contacts have been known from that earlier time, but the details of their behaviour have become increasingly complex, and the relationship between metal and semiconductor contacts has become more complex.
Abstract: Heinz K Henisch 1984 Clarendon Press: Oxford University Press xxi + 377 pp price £48 ISBN 0 19 852016 6 Those who know the book Rectifying Semiconductor Physics by Henisch might be surprised to learn that it was written more than 25 years ago. Although the basic principles of metal–semiconductor contacts have been known from that earlier time, the details of their behaviour have become increasingly complex.
21 citations
TL;DR: Briggs and Peat as mentioned in this paper discussed Bohm's ideas on "wholeness", Sheldrake's formative causation hypothesis, and the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and found this book disappointing.
Abstract: John P Briggs and F David Peat 1985 London: Fontana 320 pp price £3.95 (paperback) ISBN 0 00 636929 4 I found this book disappointing. It deals with subjects I find fascinating – scientific ideas on the fringe of respectability, including Bohm's ideas on 'wholeness', Sheldrake's formative causation hypothesis and the interpretation of quantum mechanics.
TL;DR: In this paper, Zeldovich et al. place most emphasis on magnetic field generation by various dynamo processes, and the stated purpose is to enable astrophysicists to use dynamo theory, rather than to give a rigorous development.
Abstract: Ya B Zeldovich, A A Ruzmaikin and D D Sokoloff 1983 New York: Gordon and Breach xvi + 365 pp price $80 ISBN 0 677 06380 6 In treating the very large subject implied by its title, this book places most emphasis on magnetic field generation by various dynamo processes. The stated purpose is to enable astrophysicists to use dynamo theory, rather than to give a rigorous development.
TL;DR: Stig Stenholm as mentioned in this paper developed the analytical techniques needed in laser physics and spectroscopy from an elementary starting point, and then considered selected areas of atomic laser Spectroscopy and the theory of laser action.
Abstract: Stig Stenholm 1984 Chichester: John Wiley 268 pp price £35 ISBN 0 471 05999 4 This lucid and readable textbook is the first to develop the analytical techniques needed in laser physics and spectroscopy from an elementary starting point. The author goes on to consider selected areas of atomic laser spectroscopy and the theory of laser action.
TL;DR: Gibbons, P Gummett and B M Udgaonkar as discussed by the authors described a workshop held in Manchester in April 1983 which did not consider whether science and technology should be planned but how that planning should be carried out by bureaucrats and social scientists.
Abstract: M Gibbons, P Gummett and B M Udgaonkar (eds) 1984 Harlow: Longman xxvi + 346 pp price ?15.95 (paperback) ISBN 0 582 90200 2 It used to be easy: science made discoveries which could not be foreseen and planned, but technology made inventions of which necessity (e.g. social needs) is the mother. This book, however, is the record of a workshop held in Manchester in April 1983 which did not consider whether science and technology should be planned but how that planning should be carried out, apparently in the main by bureaucrats and social scientists.
TL;DR: Schaefer as discussed by the authors was originally planned as a 'highly selective' collection of reprints tracing the development of ab initio methods in molecular electronic structure theory but, because of the limited space available, it was reduced to a brief commentary on 149 'landmark papers' (about 10% of them by Schaefer) making it possible to'scan the entire book in a single day'.
Abstract: Henry F Schaefer III 1984 Clarendon Press: Oxford University Press xxiii + 144 pp price £15 ISBN 0 19 855183 5 This book was originally planned as a 'highly selective' collection of reprints tracing the development of ab initio methods in molecular electronic structure theory but, because of the limited space available, it was reduced to a brief commentary on 149 'landmark papers' (about 10% of them by Schaefer) making it possible to 'scan the entire book in a single day'. Much earlier work by the pioneers in the field (Hartree, Slater, Fock, Coulson etc) is not included and the book concentrates mainly on computational developments since the early 1950s.
TL;DR: W Broad and N Wade 1985 Oxford: Oxford University Press 256 pp 256 pp price £3.95 (paperback) ISBN 0 19 281889 9 This is a lively account by two science journalists of several notorious cases of self-delusion, plagiarism and outright fraud in science.
Abstract: W Broad and N Wade 1985 Oxford: Oxford University Press 256 pp price £3.95 (paperback) ISBN 0 19 281889 9 This is a lively account by two science journalists of several notorious cases of self-delusion, plagiarism and outright fraud in science. It is argued that these form the tip of an iceberg of undiscovered fraud and that aspects of modern science, such as the literature explosion and funding and career pressures, make fraud more likely and harder to detect.
TL;DR: The failure of converted biologists to impart sufficient enthusiasm for their subjects to their younger students is a major factor in the steady erosion in the numbers of qualified physics and mathematics teachers as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: I agree with J M Irvine (Physics Bulletin January 1985 p4) that the failure of converted biologists to impart sufficient enthusiasm for their subjects to their younger students is a major factor in the steady erosion in the numbers of qualified physics and mathematics teachers. Moreover, I feel that The Institute of Physics has an obligation to do all it can to reverse this trend.
TL;DR: WardSmith as discussed by the authors has chosen an unfamiliar selection of topics, the fall of rain, ice crystals, seeds and the flight of animals, united by the common aspect that they are all natural in origin and involve motion through the air.
Abstract: A J Ward-Smith 1984Chichester: John Wiley x + 172 pp price ?22 ISBN 0 471 90436 8 Dr Ward-Smith has chosen an unfamiliar selection of topics ? the fall of rain, ice crystals, seeds and the flight of animals ? united by the common aspect that they are all natural in origin and involve motion through the air. This leads him to exclude, for instance, erosion by wind and the motion of fish, but to include a short section on optical phenomena associated with ice crystals in the air.
TL;DR: Chin and Lambropoulos as discussed by the authors gave a good survey of current work and developments in what is an expanding research field, and a good balance is provided between theory and experiment.
Abstract: S L Chin and P Lambropoulos (eds) 1984 Orlando: Academic xii + 272 pp price £42 ISBN 0 12 172780 7 This multi-author book gives a good survey of current work and developments in what is an expanding research field. Although the content of each chapter reflects the personal bias of the author the literature is adequately surveyed, and a good balance is provided between theory and experiment.
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TL;DR: A very substantial improvement has taken place in weather forecasting during the last decade, due to continued refinement of the objective numerical prediction models that have superseded the earlier, more subjective, empirical techniques, and also to better data assimilation and analysis techniques and to some (but not universal) improvements in observations.
Abstract: A very substantial improvement has taken place in weather forecasting during the last decade, due to the continued refinement of the objective numerical prediction models that have superseded the earlier, more subjective, empirical techniques, and also to better data assimilation and analysis techniques and to some (but not universal) improvements in observations. Leading forecast centres, such as the Meteorological Office at Bracknell, produce predictions for the earth's surface and all levels up to 20 km, covering the whole of the globe, for up to six days ahead.
TL;DR: In this article, a questionnaire was sent to UK physics departments for completion by first-year students during their first week at university and the aim was to find out what attracts students towards physics before they come under the influence of their courses and teachers.
Abstract: In September 1984 a questionnaire was sent to UK physics departments for completion by first-year students during their first week at university. The aim was to try to find out what attracts students towards physics before they come under the influence of their courses and teachers.
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TL;DR: In this article, the Luftwaffe and the German navy had radar which, from a purely technical point of view, was superior to the British radar at that time, but they did not use it in the war.
Abstract: David Dew-Hughes makes an interesting point in his letter in the October 1984 issue of Physics Bulletin (p407) but I am afraid I cannot agree with him. In 1939 both the Luftwaffe and the German navy had radar which, from a purely technical point of view, was superior to the British radar at that time.
TL;DR: Gingerich as discussed by the authors made historical research in astronomy and astrophysics accessible to the historical nonspecialist by stripping away the scholarly apparatus of footnotes, references and the detailed arguments of the research paper and presenting, instead, a rather straightforward narrative with guides for further reading.
Abstract: O Gingerich (ed) 1984 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press xi + 198 pp + lvi price £17.50 ISBN 0 521 24256 8 Although there are many books attempting to explain in simple terms, for the young enthusiast or mature nonspecialist, the problems and progress of modern astronomy and astrophysics, even specialist astronomers may find it difficult to come to grips with the history of their subject. In this series the general editor is endeavouring to make historical research in astronomy and astrophysics accessible to the historical nonspecialist by stripping away the scholarly apparatus of footnotes, references and the detailed arguments of the research paper and presenting, instead, a rather straightforward narrative with guides for further reading.
TL;DR: In this paper, the possibility of using radio-echoes to explore temperate glaciers was explored, those consisting mostly of ice at the pressure-melting temperature, but containing liquid water too.
Abstract: Radio-echo sounding is a well-established technique for exploring cold, polar, ice-masses, and a valuable, flexible tool it proves to be. Less well established is the possibility of using radio-echoes to explore temperate glaciers – those consisting mostly of ice at the pressure-melting temperature, but containing liquid water too.
TL;DR: Hayward as discussed by the authors gave an account of the processes of perception framed in terms of a synthesis of modern physics and the meditative techniques of Shambhala teaching, and used it in his book as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Jeremy W Hayward 1984 Boulder, Colorado: New Science Library/Shambhala xi + 323 pp price £10.95 (paperback) ISBN 0 87773 297 3 Reality is complex, and the intellectual insights of science need complementing by the intuitive insights of personal ortranspersonal experience. Jeremy Hayward's book gives an account of the processes of perception framed in terms of a synthesis of modern physics and the meditative techniques of Shambhala teaching.
TL;DR: A glance at the program for the 'Sensors and their Applications' conference at Southampton University on 10-12 September 1985 will confirm this view as discussed by the authors. But it is not the case that the rapidity of developments in the sensor field is so great that the word "revolution" is no exaggeration.
Abstract: The title of this article may sound like an essay in hyperbole, but the rapidity of developments in the sensor field is so great that the word 'revolution' is no exaggeration. A glance at the programme for the 'Sensors and their Applications' conference at Southampton University on 10–12 September 1985 will confirm this view.
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that α satisfies the conditions of being both light and sufficiently tightly bound for the Q-value of the process (the energy equivalent difference between the mass of the parent and the masses of the daughter and light nucleus) to be high enough for tunnelling to proceed at an observable rate.
Abstract: A bright student in an introductory physics class sometimes asks why only alpha particles, and not other light nuclei, are emitted in the process of radioactive decay of heavy nuclei via quantum-mechanical barrier penetration. The answer usually given is that only the α satisfies the conditions of being both light and sufficiently tightly bound for the Q-value of the process (the energy equivalent difference between the mass of the parent and the masses of the daughter and light nucleus) to be high enough for tunnelling to proceed at an observable rate.
TL;DR: Brock's 'Proutian theme of the roles of simplicity, aesthetics and patterning in understanding the nature of matter since the early 1800s forms the core of this book as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: W H Brock 1985 Bristol: Adam Hilger xii + 252 pp price £25 (IOP members' price £20) ISBN 0 85274 801 9 As the author says, the 'Proutian theme of the roles of simplicity, aesthetics and patterning in understanding the nature of matter since the early 1800s forms the core of this book'. This theme is as essential for 20th century physicists who – following Aston – make it their business to explore the inner atom and its exotic particles, as it was for 19th century chemists who – like Prout – sought to regain a certain classical simplicity after Dalton had suggested there were as many different atomic particles as there were different elements.
TL;DR: The Royal Society became the institutional centre of English scientific excellence into the 18th century, but from the late 18th to the mid-19th century it fell into disrepute with practising scientists, appearing to be little more than a gentlemen's dining club.
Abstract: Marie Boas Hall 1984 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press xii + 261 pp price £25 ISBN 0 521 26746 3 Established in 1660, the Royal Society became the institutional centre of English scientific excellence into the 18th century. From the late 18th to the mid-19th century, however, the Society fell into disrepute with practising scientists, appearing to be little more than a gentlemen's dining club.
TL;DR: Ashford's book reveals that this visionary had no formal training in meteorology or mathematics, yet was awarded a DSc and made an FRS as mentioned in this paper, a remarkable man devoted to science and to Quakerism.
Abstract: Oliver M Ashford 1985 Bristol: Adam Hilger xiv + 304 pp price £18 (IOP members' price £14.40) ISBN 0 85274 7748 Before reading this excellent biography, practically all that I knew of L F Richardson was that he had attempted a numerical solution of the equations of hydrodynamics for the atmosphere some 50 years before this became routine practice in weather forecasting! Oliver Ashford's book reveals that this visionary had no formal training in meteorology or mathematics, yet was awarded a DSc and made an FRS. Richardson was a remarkable man, devoted to science and to Quakerism.