THOMSON, J.J. (JOSEPH JOHN).

On the Determination of the Number of Electrostatic Units in the Electromagnetic Unit of Electricity. Communicated by Lord Rayleigh. Received June 19, - Read June 21, 1883.

(London, Harrison and Sons, 1884). 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" 1883. Vol. 174 - Part II. Pp. 707-721, textillustrations. Clean and fine.

First appearance (together with the 2 pp. extract in "Proceedings") of Thomsons first paper on the electrostatic unit of electricity.

"In 1884 Lord Rayleigh,....resigned the Cavendish Professorship of Experimental Physics. Thomson had by then completed a few imperfect bits of laboratory work, including a determination, at Rayleigh's suggestion, of the ratio of the electrostatic to the electromagnetic units of electricity (the paper offered). Rayleigh had intended to collaborate in this work which, apart from its imperfection, was typical of the Cavendish during this area; but Thomson, unaware of many of the pitfalls, ran away with the project, published hastily, and gave his collegues, including the Professor, to doubt that he had any future in experimental physics. With these credits and his mathematics, he competed for the chair; much to his surprise, and to the great annoyance of some of his competitors, who included Fitzgerald, Glazenbrook, Larmor, reynolds, and Schuster, he was elected."(DSB XIII, p. 365).

Order-nr.: 44056