Abstract
As the title implies, this is an attempt to treat electromagnetic theory as a branch of general mechanics. The fundamental unit is not the charged particle, the existence of which depends upon the existence of the corresponding opposite charge, but the electric doublet or dipole, the moment of which vanishes in a neutral particle. This makes it possible to deal with vector quantities, instead of the scalar quantities represented by ‘ charges.’ Vector algebra is therefore liberally employed, and the author devotes 36 pages to a consideration of its principal operations. It becomes necessary to regard electrons as geometrical points, or rather as point singularities in the spacetime continuum. The author, as is natural in the atmosphere of Leningrad, seeks to break with the historical development of electricity, and as a first step discards the conception of the ether, which he regards as obsolete. It is an interesting attempt, but whether it will be fruitful is another matter.
Lehrbuch der Elektrodynamik.
Prof. Dr.
J.
Frenkel
Von. Erster Band: Allgemeine Mechanik der Elektrizität. Pp. x + 365. (Berlin: Julius Springer, 1926.) 28.50 gold marks.
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D'A, E. Lehrbuch der Elektrodynamik . Nature 119, 851 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/119851d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/119851d0