



Produced by David Widger with thanks to Google Books





A HISTORY OF SCIENCE

By Henry Smith Williams

Assisted By Edward H. Williams

In Five Volumes


VOLUME V.

Aspects Of Recent Science

New York And London

Harper And Brothers

Copyright, 1904, by Harper & Brothers.

Published November, 1904.



CONTENTS


  BOOK V


  CHAPTER I--THE BRITISH MUSEUM

  The founding of the British Museum, p. 4--Purchase of Sir Hans Sloane's
  collection of curios by the English government, p. 4--Collection of
  curios and library located in Montague Mansion, p. 5--Acquisition of
  the collection of Sir William Hamilton, p. 5--Capture of Egyptian
  antiquities by the English, p. 5--Construction of the present museum
  building, p. 6--The Mesopotamian department, p. 8--The Museum of Natural
  History in South Kensington, p. 8--Novel features in the structure of
  the building, p. 9--Arrangement of specimens to illustrate evolution,
  protective coloring, etc., p.-- --Exhibits of stuffed specimens amid
  their natural surroundings, p. 10--Interest taken by visitors in the
  institution, p. 12.

  CHAPTER II--THE ROYAL SOCIETY OP LONDON FOR IMPROVING NATURAL KNOWLEDGE

  The Royal Society, p. 14--Weekly meetings of the society, p. 15--The tea
  before the opening of the lecture, p. 15--Announcement of the beginning
  of the lecture by bringing in the great mace, p. 16--The lecture-room
  itself, p. 17--Comparison of the Royal Society and the Royal Academy
  of Sciences at Berlin, p. 18--The library and reading-room, p. 19--The
  busts of distinguished members, p. 20--Newton's telescope and Boyle's
  air-pump, p. 21.

  CHAPTER III--THE ROYAL INSTITUTION AND LOW-TEMPERATURE RESEARCHES

  The founding of the Royal Institution, p. 29--Count Rumford, p. 30--His
  plans for founding the Royal Institution, p. 32--Change in the spirit
  of the enterprise after Rumford's death, p. 33--Attitude of the
  earlier workers towards the question of heat as a form of motion,
  p. 34--Experiments upon gases by Davy and Faraday, p. 35--Faraday's
  experiments with low temperatures, p. 39--Other experiments to produce
  lower temperature, p. 39--Professor De-war begins low-temperature
  research, p. 39--His liquefaction of hydrogen, p. 43--Hampson's method
  of producing low temperatures, p. 44--Dewar's invention of the vacuum
  vessel, p. 53--Its use in retaining liquefied gases, p. 54--Changes in
  physical properties of substances at excessively low temperatures, p.
  56--Magnetic phenomena at low temperatures, p. 56--Changes in the color
  of substances at low temperatures, p. 57--Substances made luminous by
  low temperatures, p. 58--Effect of low temperatures upon the strength of
  materials, p. 59--Decrease of chemical activity at low temperatures, p.
  60--Olzewski's experiments with burning substances in liquid oxygen,
  p. 61--Approach to the absolute zero made by liquefying hydrogen, p.
  69--Probable form of all matter at the absolute zero, p. 70--Uncertain
  factors that enter into this determination, p. 71.

  CHAPTER IV--SOME PHYSICAL LABORATORIES AND PHYSICAL PROBLEMS

  Sir Norman Lockyer and Spectroscopic Studies of the Sun and Stars, p.
  73--Observations made at South Kensington by Sir Norman and his staff,
  p. 74--His theories as to the influence of sun-spots and terrestrial
  weather, p. 75--Spectroscopic studies of sun-spots, p. 76--Studies of
  the so-called reverse lines of the spectrum, p. 78--Discovery of the new
  star in the constellation of Perseus, p. 80--Spectroscopic studies
  of the new star, p. 81--Professor Ramsay and the new gases, p.
  82--University College in London, p. 83--Professor Ramsay's laboratory
  and its equipment, p. 84--The discovery of argon, p. 86--Professor
  Ramsay's work on krypton, neon, and zenon, p. 87--Discoveries of new
  constituents of the atmosphere, p. 88--Interesting questions raised
  by these discoveries, p. 89--Professor J. J. Thomson and the nature
  of electricity, p. 92--Study of gases