LEBEDEW, PETER. - CONFIRMING MAXWELL'S HYPOTHESIS OF THE PRESSURE OF LIGHT.

Untersuchungen über die Druckkräfte des Lichtes.

Leipzig, Ambrosius Barth, 1901. Without wrappers. In: "Annalen der Physik", Vierte Folge, Bd. 6, No. 11. (Entire issue offered). Pp. 433-458. Lebedew's paper: pp. 433-458., textillustrations. Clean and fine.

First printing of Lebedew's importent paper which he presented at an international conference (1899), and in which he described his detection of the pressure of light.

"He was interested in the possibility that light might exert pressures. This had been predicted by Maxwell's equations and it was a handy explanation, for instance, for the fact that comet's tails always pointed generally away from the sun whether the comet was approaching the sun or receding. In 1901 (in the paper offered), using very light mirrors in a vacuum, Lebedew was actually able to observe and measure the pressure exerted by light, again confirmning Maxwell's theories, as well as providing a vehicle for Arrhenius' life-spores."(Asimov).

Parkinson "Breakthroughs", 1899 C.

Order-nr.: 43631