Project Physics Reader 4, Light and Electromagnetism
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DOM/KEITRESUME ED 071 897 SE 015 534 TITLE Project Physics Reader 4,Light and Electromagnetism. INSTITUTION Harvard 'Jail's, Cambridge,Mass. Harvard Project Physics. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. Bureau of Research. BUREAU NO BR-5-1038 PUB DATE 67 CONTRACT 0M-5-107058 NOTE . 254p.; preliminary Version EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-49.87 DESCRIPTORS Electricity; *Instructional Materials; Li ,t; Magnets;, *Physics; Radiation; *Science Materials; Secondary Grades; *Secondary School Science; *Supplementary Reading Materials IDENTIFIERS Harvard Project Physics ABSTRACT . As a supplement to Project Physics Unit 4, a collection. of articles is presented.. in this reader.for student browsing. The 21 articles are. included under the ,following headings: _Letter from Thomas Jefferson; On the Method of Theoretical Physics; Systems, Feedback, Cybernetics; Velocity of Light; Popular Applications of.Polarized Light; Eye and Camera; The laser--What it is and Doe0; A .Simple Electric Circuit: Ohmss Law; The. Electronic . Revolution; The Invention of the Electric. Light; High Fidelity; The . Future of Current Power Transmission; James Clerk Maxwell, ., Part II; On Ole Induction of Electric Currents; The Relationship of . Electricity and Magnetism; The Electromagnetic Field; Radiation Belts . .Around the Earth; A .Mirror for the Brain; Scientific Imagination; Lenses and Optical Instruments; and "Baffled!." Illustrations for explanation use. are included. The work of Harvard. roject Physics haS ...been financially supported by: the Carnegie Corporation ofNew York, the_ Ford Foundations, the National Science Foundation.the_Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the. United States Office of Education, and Harvard .University..(CC) Project Physics Reader An Introduction to Physics Light and Electromagnetism U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG INATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU CATION POSITION OR POLICY Project Physics Reader An Introduction to Physics4Light and Electromagnetism Preliminary Version 1967-68 An 1 , This is not a physics textbook.Rather, it is a physics reader, a collection of some of the best articles and book passages In physics. A few are on historic events in science, oth.ns contain some particularly memorable description of what physicists do; still others deal with philosophy of science, or with the impact of scientific thought on the imagination of the artist. There are old and new classics, and also some little- known publications; many have been suggested for in- clusion because some teacher or physicist remembered an article with particular fondness. The majority of articles is not drawn from scientific papers of historic importance themselves, because material from many of these is readily available, either as quotations in the Project Physics text or in special collections. This collection is meant for your browsing.If you follow your own reading interests, chances are good that you will find here many pages that convey the joy these authors have in their work and the excitement of their ideas.If you want to follow up on interesting excerpts, the source list at the end of the reader will guide you for further reading. iii 1 Letter from Thomas Jefferson I June 1799 2 On the Method of Theoretical Physics 5 Albert Einstein An essay-1934 3 Experiments and Calculations Relative to Physical Optics 15 Thomas Young A scientific paper published in 1855 4 Velocity of Light 29 A A Michelson A chapter from his book, Studies in Optics. published in 1927 5 Popular Applications of Polarized Light 49 William A. Shorcliff and Stanley S. Ballard A chapter from the book Polarized Lip t published in 1964 6 Action at a Distance 69 James Clerk Maxwell A scientific paper published in 1873. 7 The Electronic Revolution 83 Arthur C. Clarke 1962 8 The Invention of the Electric Light 91 Matthew Josephson 1959 9 High Fidelity 103 Edgar Vilichur Two chapters from his book Reproduction of Sound published in 1962. The Future of Direct Current Power Transmission 119 N L Allen A popular article published in 1967. 11 James Clerk Maxwell, Part II 123 James R Newman A biographit.al essay published in 1955 12 Maxwell's Letters: A Collection 157 13 On the Induction of Electric Currents 165 James Clerk Maxwell From his Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism published in 1873 14 The Relationship of Electricity and Magnetism 169 D K C MacDonald Excerpt from his book, Faraday, Maxwell, and Kelvin, published in 1964 15 The Electromagnetic Field 177 Albert Einstein and Leopold Infeld Excerpt from their book entitled the Evolution of Physics published in 1938 and 1961 16 Radiation Belts Around the Earth 203 James Var. Allen 1959 17 A Mirrcr for the Brain 213 W. Grey Walter A chapter from his book The Living Brain published in 1963. 18 Scientific Imagination 239 Richard P. Feynman, Robert B, Leighton, and Matthew Sands Excerpt from The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume II, 1964. Letter from Thomas Jefferson . June 1799 Monticello June 18. 99. DEAR SIR, I have to acknolege the reciept of your favor of May 14. in which you mention that you have finished the 6. first books of Euclid, plane trigonometry,sur- veying and algebra and ask whether I think a further pursuit of that branch of science would be useful to you.There arc some propositions in the latter books of Euclid, and some of Archimedes, whicharc useful, and I have no doubt you have been made acquainted with them.Trigonometry, so far as this, is most valuable to every man, there is scarcely a day in which he will not resort to it for some of the purposes of common life ;the science of calculation also is indispensible as far as the extraction of the square and cube roots ;Algebra as far as the quadratic equation and the use of logarithms are often of value in ordi- nary cases ;but all beyond these is but a luxury ;a delicious luxury indeed ;but not to be indulged in by one who is to have a profession to follow for his sub- sistence.In this light I view the conic sections, 1 curves of the orders, perhaps even spherical trigonometry,Algebraical operations beyond the 2ddimension,andfiuxions.Thereareother branches of science however worth the attention of every man :Astronomy, botany, chemistry, natural philosophy, natural history, anatomy.Not indeed to be a proficient in them; but to possess their general principles and outlines, so as that we may be able to amuse and inform ourselves further in any of them as we proceed through life and have occasion for them. Some knowlcge of them is necessary for our character as well as comfort. The general elements of astro- nomy and of natural philosophy are best acquired at an academy where we can have the benefit of the instruments and apparatus usually provided there: but the others may well be acquired from books alone as far as our purposes require.I have indulged myself in these observations to you, because the evidence cannot be unuscful to you of a person who has often had occasion to corridcr which of his acquisitions in science have been really useful to him in life, and which of them have bccn merelya matter of luxury. I am among those who think well of the human character generally.I consider man as formed for society, and endowed by nature with those disposi- tions which fit him for society.I believe also, with Condorcct, as mentioned in your letter, that his mind is perfectible to a degree of which we cannot as yet form any conception.It is impossible for a man who takes a survey of what is already known, not to sec what an immensity in every branch of science yet remains to be discovered, and that too of articles to which our faculties stem adequate.In geometry and calculation we know a great deal.Yet there are some desiderata.In anatomy great progress has been made; but much is still to be acquired.In natural history we possess knowlcgc ;but we want a great deal.In chemistry we are not yet sure of the first elements. Our natural philosophy is in a very infantinc state; perhaps for great advances in it,a further progress in chemistryisnecessary. Surgery is well advanced; but prodigiously short of what may be. The state of inedecine is worst than that of total ignorance.Could we divest ourselves of 2 every thing we suppose we know in it, we should start from a higher ground and with fairer prospects. From Hippocrates to Brown we have had nothing but a succession of hypothetical systems each having it's day of vogue, like the fashions and fancies of caps and gowns, and yielding in turn to the next caprice.Yet the human frame, which is to be the subject of suffering and torture under these learned modes, does not change. We have a few inedecines, as the bark, opium, mercury, which in a few well defined diseases arc of unquestionable virtue:but the residuary list of the materia medial, long as it is, contains but the charlatancrics of the art ;and of the diseases of doubtful form, physicians have ever hada false knowlege, worse than ignorance.Yet surely thelist of unequivocal diseases and remediesis capable of enlargement ;and it is still more certain that in the other branches of science, great fields are yet to be explored to which our faculties arc equal, and that to an extent of which we cannot fix the limits.I join you therefore in branding as cowardly the idea that the human mind is incapable of further advgnces.This is precisely the doctrine which the present despots of the earth are inculcating, and their friei.ds here re-echoing; and applying especially to religion and politics;that it is not probable that any thing better will be discovered than what was known to our fathers '.We are to look backwards then and not forwards for the improvement of science, and to find it amidst feudal barbarisms and thefiresof Spital-fields.But thank heaven the American mind is already too much opened, to listen to these impostures; and while the art of printing is left to use, science can never be retrograde; what is once acquired of real knowlege can never be lost.