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Originally published in 1900, Gilbert T. Walker attempts in this book to construct a theory of the electromagnetic field.
List of contents
Preface; Table of vector notation and formulae; Table of notation of physical quantities; Part I: 1. Difference in conceptions of polarisation; 2. Flux in continuous polarisation; 3-4. Analysis of molecular polarisation; 5. Density due to molecular polarisation; 6. The existence of convection currents; 7-9. Flux of molecular polarisation; 10. Effect of motion on permeability; 11-12. Equations of the field when the polarisation is continuous and motion takes place: the electric and magnetic forces at a moving point; 13. The polarisation in a moving medium; 14. Equations of the field when the ether is stationary and material media whose polarisations are molecular drift through it: the polarisation of the ether is assumed to be continuous; 15. The same when the polarisation of the ether is molecular; 16. Comparison of results; 17-18. Boundary conditions; Part II. 19. Extension of the transformation of Lorentz which gives a stationary distribution corresponding to one in which molecularly polarised media drift through stationary ether; 20. Airy's 'water-telescope' experiment; 21-24. Double refraction of light in a drifting medium; 25. Experiments with rotating dielectric plates; 26. Theory of Röntgen's experiment; 27. Theory of Röntgen's experiment; Part III: 28. Stress in the ether when the electric and magnetic polarisations are entirely continuous and the ether and matter have a common velocity; 29. Resultant force per unit volume under the same conditions; 30. Stress in the ether when the polarisations of the ether are continuous, those of the material media are molecular, and the ether has the same velocity as the matter; 31. Preliminary considerations; 32-33. Energy in the field in a special case, and an example of the need of modification; 34. Stress in the ether when it is stationary and molecular polarisation drifts through it; 35. The force per unit volume in this case; 36. The couple per unit volume; 37. The value of the force when the field is stationary and steady; 38. The result of assuming (DE' + GH')/8¿ as the potential energy; 39. An example of the effect of the motion of a surface upon the force in action upon it; 40-41. Discussion of the case in which there is no drift; 42. Relation between stress in the ether and stress in the material medium; 43-44. Force at a surface of discontinuity; 45. Distinctions between electric and magnetic polarisations; 46. Interpretation of electric polarisation in terms of ions; 47. Interpretation of magnetisation in terms of ions: the two hypotheses in relation to susceptibility; 48. Equations of the field when the second hypothesis is made; 49-51. Stress in the ether under the same conditions; 52. Stress in the material medium in an electrostatic field; 53. Stress in the material medium in a magnetostatic field; 54. Comparison of theoretical stresses with the results of observation; 55. Experimental investigation of stress in an electrostatic field; Part IV: 56. Experimental investigation of stress in a magnetostatic field; 57. Velocity of light when a continuously polarised medium drifts through stationary ether; 58. Determination of the velocity with which the ether must be dragged by a continuously polarised medium, in order that Fresnel's coefficient may be obtained; 59. The direction and velocity of ray-propagation under the above conditions; 60. Reflection and refraction; 61.Röntgen's experiment is inconsistent with the hypothesis of § 58.
Summary
Originally published in 1900, this book contains the text of the Adams Prize-winning essay for 1899 by Gilbert T. Walker, which attempts to construct a theory of the electromagnetic field 'consistent with the modern interpretation of chemical, optical and magnetic phenomena in terms of electrically charged particles'.
