Notes on Recent Researches in Electricity and Magnetism

This1893publicationisacentraltextintheworkoftheNobelprizewinningphysicistSirJosephJohnThomson(1858-1940).IntendedasanextensionofJamesClerkMaxwell'sTreatiseonElectricityandMagnetism,itdocumentstheimportantshiftinThomson'sthinkingtowardsthemodeloftheatomicelectricfield,atheorythatwouldeventuallyleadtohisdiscoveryoftheelectron.InChapter1,ThomsondocumentshisexperimentswithFaradaytubes,usingthemtophysicallydemonstratea'moleculartheoryofelectricity'.Chapter2considersthedischargeofelectricitythroughgases,Chapter3theoriesofelectrostatics,andChapters4-6areprimarilyconcernedwithalternatingcurrents.InadditiontoprovidingcrucialinsightintoThomson'sevolvingtheoryoftheatom,RecentResearchesunderscoreshiscommitmenttoexperimentalphysics,whichoffers'alltheadvantagesinvividnesswhicharisefromconcretequalitiesratherthanabstractsymbols'.