Optical Measuring Instruments, their Construction, Theory, and Use

Abstract

OBTAIN a measurement, however rough then endeavour to get a better, was the advice that Lord Kelvin used to urge upon his students. Quantitative analysis is the natural supplement of qualitative reasoning. One rough estimation may serve to exclude a multitude of suppositions; one precise measurement may serve to indicate the definite conclusion of an investigation. But to make a measurement, even an approximate one, is not always easy. Precise metrology is a difficult art. It demands an understanding of the problem; access to the requisite apparatus or, failing instrumental means, the capacity to design and, if necessary, construct whatever appliances may be required; skill in their adjustment and use; and, above all, the will to discard the obvious, which in metrology is not always the truth.

Optical Measuring Instruments, their Construction, Theory, and Use.

By Dr. L. C. Martin. (Applied Physics Series.) Pp. ix + 270 + 8 plates. (London, Glasgow, and Bombay: Blackie and Son, Ltd., 1924.) 17s. 6d. net.