AMPÈRE, ANDRÉ-MARIE - FOUNDING ELECTRODYNAMICS.

Ueber die gegenseitigen Wirkungen, welche auf einander ausüben zwei electrische Ströme, ein electrischer Ström und ein Magnet oder die Erdkugel, und zwei Magnete. Von Ampere... Frei bearbeitet von Gilbert. Erste Hälfte, (vorgelegt der Paris. Akad. den 2. Oct 1820, mit einigen späteren Einschaltungen). + Zweite Hälfte. (vorgelegt in der Paris. Akad. den 9. Oct., 30. Oct. und 6. Nov.).

Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1821. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf. Gilt spine and with gilt lettering. Some scratches to spine. In: "Annalen der Physik und der Physikalischen Chemie. Hrsg. Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert", Bd. 7 (= Bd. 67 der Reihe). (8),444 pp., 2 folded tables and 8 engraved plates. Small stamp to verso of titlepages. Ampére's paper: pp. 113-167 a. 225-258 with 4 engraved plates. Internally clean and fine.

First German versions of Ampére's famous papers, the first announcements of Ampère's discoveries on electromagnetism, being the German version of Ampére's "Mémoires sur I'action mutuelle de deux courans électriques, sur celle qui existe entre un courant électrique et un aimant ou le globe terrestre, et celle de deux aimans I'un sur I'autre."

Ampère first heard of Ørsted's discovery of electromagnetism on the 4th of September when Arago announced Ørsted's results to the Paris Academy of Sciences. In Ørsted's experiment a current-carrying wire is held over, and under, a compass needle - the result being that the needle is positioned at 45 degrees in respect to the wire. Ampére immediately saw that this result made no physical sense and realized that the true nature of the effect could not be observed until the force of terrestrial magnetism was somehow neutralized; what Ørsted had observed and reported on was the resultant of the force from the wire and that from the earth's magnetic field. Ampère discovered that the compass needle sets at 90 degrees to the current-carrying wire when the effect of terrestial magnetism is eliminated. He also observed that current-carrying wires which are formed as spirals act as permanent magnets, and this lead him to his theory that electricity in motion produces magnetism and that permanent magnets must contain electrical currents. And thus Ampère laid the foundation of the new field of electrodynamics.

Ampère announced his theory and experimental results, for the first time, in a series of memoires read before the Paris Academy of Sciences in September and October 1820. These memoires were first published in the September and October issues of Arago's 'Annales de Chimie et de Physique'. In November Ampère had a seperate printing of his findings published under the title 'Mémoires sur I'action mutuelle de deux courans électriques, sur celle qui existe entre un courant électrique et un aimant ou le globe terrestre, et celle de deux aimans I'un sur I'autre.' (Dibner 62, Norman 43).

Honeyman 82, Barchas 51, Wheeler 762. (The French versions).
The volume contains other importent papers of historical importence, relating to the discovery of electro-magnetism by Oersted in 1820. (Raschig, Bechstein, Georg von Buquoy, Prechtl, Boisgiraud).

Order-nr.: 49574