INTRODUCTION 



When I was asked in the spring of 1946 to give a series of five Hitch- 

 cock Lectures at the University of California at Berkeley, I chose for the 

 general subject "Science for the Fun of It." This title was suggested to 

 me by the frequent question, "Having fun today?" asked by Dr. W. R. 

 Whitney during his daily tour thru the industrial research laboratory that 

 he founded in 1900. 



The present volume in its eighteen chapters contains a collection of 

 twenty papers, roughly one-tenth of the papers that I have published 

 since 1909, when I joined the research group in Dr. Whitney's Laboratory. 



The Bibliography at the end of this book contains a nearly complete list 

 of these papers arranged in eight groups, "A" to "H," according to the 

 principal subject matter treated. 



A. General Topics, Scientific Research, Philosophy of Science, 

 Incentives in Science and in Industry, Scientific Education. 



B. Structure of Matter, of Molecules, Atoms, Crystals, Proteins, 

 and Ferromagnetic Materials. 



C. Conduction, Convection and Radiation of Heat, Diffusion, 

 Evaporation in Vacuum and in Gases, Gas-Filled Incandescent 

 Lamps, etc. 



D. The Mechanism of Chemical Reactions at High Temperatures 

 and Low Pressures, Catalysis. 



E. High Vacuum Phenomena, Vacuum Pumps, Electron Emission 

 and Space Charge Eflfects. 



F. Electric Discharges in Gases, especially at Low Pressures. 



G. Surface Chemistry, Adsorption, Surface Tension, Monomo- 

 lecular Films, Biological Applications. 



H. Meteorology and Related Fields, Aviation, Oceanography, Tur- 

 bulent Motion of Water and Air, Submarine Detection by use 

 of the Binaural Effect, Precipitation Static, Icing of Aircraft. 



In these days in which we hear so much about "planned economy" this 

 list of researches emanating from an industrial laboratory may seem in- 



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