The progress of physics during 33 years (1875-1908) : four lectures delivered to the University of Calcutta during March 1908 / by Arthur Schuster.

  • Schuster, Arthur, Sir, 1851-1934.
Date:
1911
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The progress of physics during 33 years (1875-1908) : four lectures delivered to the University of Calcutta during March 1908 / by Arthur Schuster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    able that the determination of the position of planets, which allowed Kepler to discover his laws, was made by men who, solely for their own pleasure or satisfaction, recorded their places among the fixed stars. We may be certain that Schwabe had some idea on the possi- bility of connecting sunspots with other phenomena, and we know that the old astronomers were not doing their work simply for the sake of curiosity, or in the vague hope that something unforeseen should come of it. Similarly we may be certain that Lord Rayleigh’s object in determining the density of nitrogen, was not that of obtaining a more accurate value of a physical quantity without some definite view, why an increased accuracy in the determination of that constant was desirable. The most important result of a research no doubt is very often not that which was originally aimed at, but this does not prove the absence of an intention, which went beyond that of mere increased accuracy or an amplified record of facts. My object is not, however, to shew what students ought or ought not to have been taught, but what they actually were taught thirty years ago. In this respect Maxwell’s declaration must be taken to represent the most progressive view of the time, but unfortunately only few students came under his direct influence. I shall endeavour to describe the atmosphere which surrounded a student of Physics in the five institutions in which I worked. The method of testing a student’s fitness for graduation differed then, as it does now, in different countries and naturally formed a potent factor in determining the course of instruction. In Germany the presentation of a thesis