﻿Notices 
  respecting 
  New 
  Books. 
  371 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  two 
  chapters 
  are 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  atom, 
  

   and 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  radiant 
  energy. 
  The 
  author 
  gives 
  a 
  clear 
  

   account 
  of 
  Moseley's 
  famous 
  experiments 
  on 
  the 
  characteristic 
  

   X 
  rays, 
  and 
  of 
  Bohr's 
  very 
  successful 
  atom 
  model 
  of 
  Butherford 
  

   type. 
  In 
  discussing 
  the 
  quantum 
  theory 
  he 
  describes 
  his 
  expe- 
  

   riments 
  on 
  the 
  initial 
  velocity 
  of 
  the 
  photo-electrons, 
  and 
  the 
  

   consequent 
  determination 
  of 
  h. 
  He 
  concludes 
  with 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  

   the 
  still 
  unexplained 
  difficulties 
  which 
  beset 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  

   satisfactory 
  theory 
  of 
  radiation. 
  

  

  The 
  style 
  of 
  the 
  book 
  is 
  very 
  clear 
  and 
  pleasant, 
  all 
  but 
  the 
  very 
  

   simplest 
  mathematical 
  considerations 
  being 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  

   series 
  of 
  appendices. 
  The 
  Cavendiah 
  work, 
  so 
  familiar 
  to 
  English 
  

   physicists, 
  is 
  dealt 
  with 
  briefly, 
  while 
  Professor 
  Millikan's 
  own 
  

   work, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  less 
  described 
  in 
  text-books, 
  is 
  exposed 
  at 
  

   greater 
  length. 
  The 
  short 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  recent 
  theories 
  

   are 
  excellent. 
  The 
  book 
  will 
  be 
  read 
  with 
  pleasure 
  and 
  profit 
  by 
  

   the 
  physicist, 
  while 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  its 
  clarity 
  and 
  directness 
  

   render 
  it 
  available 
  to 
  any 
  man 
  of 
  general 
  scientific 
  training. 
  

  

  Napier 
  Tercentenary 
  Memorial 
  Volume. 
  Edited 
  by 
  C. 
  Gr. 
  Knott. 
  

   Published 
  for 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Society 
  of 
  Edinburgh 
  by 
  Longmans, 
  

   Green 
  and 
  Co. 
  Quarto. 
  Price 
  21s. 
  net. 
  

  

  This 
  volume 
  of 
  Essays 
  and 
  Addresses, 
  contributed 
  to 
  the 
  Ter- 
  

   centenary 
  Congress, 
  forms 
  a 
  worthy 
  memorial 
  of 
  the 
  publication 
  

   of 
  Napier's 
  wonderful 
  discovery. 
  It 
  is 
  appropriate, 
  too, 
  that 
  on 
  

   this 
  occasion 
  special 
  attention 
  should 
  be 
  drawn 
  to 
  the 
  extensive 
  

   logarithmic 
  tables 
  calculated 
  by 
  Edward 
  Sang, 
  which 
  have 
  too 
  

   long 
  remained 
  unpublished. 
  " 
  What 
  more 
  fitting 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  

   Napier 
  Tercentenary 
  could 
  there 
  be 
  than 
  making 
  accessible 
  to 
  

   the 
  civilized 
  world 
  the 
  fundamental 
  part 
  of 
  these 
  great 
  tables, 
  

   calculated 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  city 
  where 
  John 
  Napier 
  invented 
  the 
  

   logarithm 
  and 
  gained 
  undying 
  fame 
  as 
  a 
  benefactor 
  of 
  his 
  

   race 
  ? 
  " 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  inaugural 
  address, 
  Lord 
  Moulton 
  traces 
  the 
  different 
  stages 
  

   in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  logarithms, 
  whilst 
  other 
  

   papers 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  work 
  of 
  Napier. 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  

   Napier's 
  claim 
  to 
  priority 
  of 
  discovery 
  is 
  fully 
  discussed, 
  and 
  valuable 
  

   papers 
  on 
  logarithms 
  and 
  logarithmic 
  computations 
  form 
  an 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  volume. 
  The 
  Essays 
  more 
  directly 
  concerned 
  

   with 
  mathematical 
  tables 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  most 
  interest 
  to 
  calculators, 
  

   whose 
  labours 
  will 
  be 
  considerably 
  reduced 
  thereby. 
  Prof. 
  Andoyer 
  

   contributes 
  an 
  interesting 
  and 
  suggestive 
  paper 
  on 
  fundamental 
  

   trigonometric 
  and 
  logarithmic 
  tables. 
  The 
  arrangement 
  of 
  tables, 
  

   the 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  ol 
  entries 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  mean 
  error, 
  and 
  

   a 
  method 
  of 
  extending 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  tables 
  by 
  improvement 
  of 
  

   differences, 
  include 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  and 
  important 
  

   essays 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  volume. 
  Mathematicians 
  interested 
  in 
  

   history 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  calculation 
  are 
  greatly 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  

   Editor, 
  Dr. 
  Knott, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  experts 
  who 
  have 
  made 
  such 
  valuable 
  

   contributions 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  this 
  subject. 
  

  

  