JF Ptak Science Books // Blog Bookstore

Julien Malengreau.

(1)  Considerations sur les Fondements de la Mathematique.  Lausanne, F. Rouge, ca. 1950.  39pp.  Printed wrappers.  Very fine. 

(2) Notice sur les Fondements de la Geometrie.  Bruxelles, Boeck, 1939.  48pp.  Printed wrappers.  Very fine.

(3) Notice sur la Fondements de la Geometrie.  Montreaux, 1940. "Edition complete".  96pp.  Printed wrappers.  Fine

3 works:  $75.

 

 

Robert E. Moritz. Cyclic-Harmonic Curves, a Study in Polar Coordinates. Seattle, Washington, published by the Universty, 1923. Seperatum: University of Washington Publications in Mathematics, Vol 1/no 2, pp 1-38, plates 1-21, June 1923.  Original paper wrappers.  Very fine copy.  Lovely.  $125

Tulio Levi-Civita.  Some Mathematical Aspectsof the New Mechanics.  Offprint:  Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, 1933.  Nice copy in wrappers.  $75

C.L. Siegel, Vorlesungen ueber ausgewaehlte Kapitel der Funktionentheorie.  Parts I-III, 253+255+304pp, 11 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches.  No place of publication or date, offset printed, cloth-backed stiff wrappers.  Nice copies.  Unusual. $135.00

Richard von Mises.  Notes on the Mathematical Theory of Probability and Statistics.  Part I:  Probability Theory; Part II: Mathematical Statistics.  11x8 inches, offset printed, from Harvard University Graduate School of Engineering.  Special Publication No. 1 for the Graduate School of Engineering, Cambridge, MA, 1946. Variously paginated, numbering approximately 300 leaves.  Quite scrace in this early format.  $500

E. Goursat.  Lecons sur l'Integration des Equations aux Derivees Partielles du Premier Ordre...  Paris; A. Hermann, 1891.  8vo, 354pp.  Wrappered volume rebound in fairly sumptuous red morocco with raised bands, and red marbled boards.  As is common with these publications at this time, the paper stock employed by Hermann was of modest quality, and so the paper over time has browned.  Still, a very nice copy. $165

JF Ptak Science Books 

Brownlee, K.A., J.L. Hodges, Murray Rosenblatt.  "The Up and Down Method of Small Samples".  Mimeographed paper, Statistical Research Center, University of Chicago.  11x8 inches, 26 leaves.  Printed in purple, and stapled.  Very good.  $100

JF Ptak Science Books

B.O. Koopman.  Four offprints.  $250

"The Theory of Search. I:  Kinematic Bases."1956.  Pp 324-346.  Offprint.

"The Theory of Seach II:  Target Detection. " 1956.  Pp 503-531.

"The Theory of Search III:  the Optimum Distribution of Searching Effort." 1957.  Pp 613-626.

All offprints from Operations Research.  All in matching pale blue wrappers. 

Offered with:

"Analytical Treatment of a War Game. 5pp.  Original printed wrappers.  No place or date of publication. 

Abstract (A):

John William Nicholson / mathematical and astronomical papers, 1905-1916.  38 offprints, all in original wrappers.  [Sold]

The following from the Oxford University site, Mathematics at Balliol College, Modern:

"John Nicholson was Mathematics Tutor at Balliol from 1919-1931. Around 1912 Nicholson had been the first to realise that in quantum theory the angular momentum of particles must be quantised, and that this fact should make it possible to explain the spectra of atoms. Unfortunately, Rutherford's work on the structure of atoms was not yet complete, so Nicholson was forced to work with an incorrect model of the atom, and his results were correspondingly modest. When in the following year Bohr coupled Nicholson's idea of quantised angular momentum with Rutherford's planetary model of the atom everything fitted perfectly and provided the first theoretical understanding of Balmer's empirical spectral formulae. Nicholson felt that he never received the proper recognition for his contribution and increasingly consoled himself with the contents of the College cellar. By 1930 he was no longer capable of carrying out his tutorial duties, and he spent the last twenty-five years of his life, practically forgotten, in the Warneford Hospital."

He was also "Isaac Newton Student and Scholar of Trinity College" in 1907 at least, and recipient of the Adams Prize in 1919.  Interestingly he married Dorothy Maud Wrinch (1894-1976) in 1922--she was the fist female DSc of Oxford, had studied under Russell (and produced in some way the publication of the Tractatus, was an assistant to Jeffries and had in some ways made significant contributions to mathematics and biology. 

Nicholson's Papers:

• On Electrical Vibrations between Confocal Elliptic Cylinders... Philosophical Magazine, August 1905.
• The Symmetrical Vibrations of ethe Conducting Surfaces of Revolution,  PM, May 1906.
• A General Solution of the ElectromagneticRelations.  Philosophical Magazine, February 1907.
• A Type of Asymptotic Summation.  Messenger of Mathematics, 1907.
• The Asymptotic Expansion of Bessel Functions of High Order. PM, December 1907.
• The Scattering of Sound by Spheroids and Disks. PM, 1907.
• On Bessel Functions of Equal Argument and Order. Philosophical Magazine, August 1908.
• On the Relation of Airy's Integral to the Bessel Functions.  PM, July 1909
• Inductance and Resistance in Telephone and other Circuits. PM, September 1909. 
• The Accelerated Motion of an Electrified Sphere. Philosophical Magazine, 1910.
• The Asymptotic Expansion of Bessel Functions. PM, February, 1910.
• The Pressure of Radiation on Reflecting Spherical Particles. MNRAS, May 1910.
• Ont eh Size of the Tail-PArticles of Comets, and their Scattering Effect on Sunlgiht.  PM, April 1910.
• The Accelerated Motion of a Dielectric Sphere. PM, November 1910.
• The Approximate Calculation of Bessel Functions of Imaginary Argument. PM, December, 1910.
• On Bending of Electric Waves ROund a LArge Sphere. PM, APril 1910-Nov 1912.
• Note on the Optical Properties of Fused Metals. PM, August 1911.
• The  products of Bessel Functions.  Quarterly Journal of Pure and Applied Math, 1911.
• On the Number of Electrons concerned in Metallic Conduction.  PM, August, 1911.
• Notes on Bessel Functions.   Quarterly Journal of Pure and Applied Math, 1911
• A Type of Asymptotic Expansion of Legendre Functions.    Quarterly Journal of Pure and Applied Math,1911
• The Constitution of the Solar Corona, MNRAS Dec 1911 and Part II, June 1912 and Part III,Sept 1912
• A Possible Extension of the Spectrum of Hydrogen, MNRAS, May 1913.
• The Spectra if Wolf-Rayet Stars. MNRAS, December 1913. 
• The Physical Interpretation of the Spectrum of the Corona. The Observatory, February 1913.
• On the Nebular Line A3729.   Montly Notices RAS, May 1914
• Hydrogen and the Primary Constituents of Nebulae.  MNRAS, June 1914.
• High Frequnecy Spectra of teh Elements...PM, 1914.
• The Spectra of Hydrogen and Helium.  MNRAS, 1914. 
• The Nature of the Coronium Atom.  MNRAS, March 1916.
• On the Distribution of Intensity in Broadened Spectrum Lines. Phil Trans, June 28, 1916. (With T.R. Merton.)
• The Atomic Weights of the Elements in Nebulae.  MNRAS, Mar 1918.  
• On Intensity Relations in the Spectrum of Helium. Phil Trans, April 1918.  (With T.R. Merton.)

John William Nicholson, FRS (1 November 1881 – 3 October 1955) was an English mathematician.

John William Nicholson. 1881-1955Biogr. Mems Fell. R. Soc. November 1, 1956 2:209-214

Doppler & Bolzano on Doppler's Great Paper of 1842

Professor Doppler over several weeks has excited me with his ideas, the one more brilliant than the other. I must think about them day and night.--Bernhard Bolzano, 1844

Mr Doppler has already demonstrated his very promising abilities to the scientific community through his numerous published works in mathematics and physics. The expectations raised by his hitherto published works would multiply when one enters into personal acquaintance with him. You are not only struck by how many highly interesting and fruitful ideas, in many areas of knowledge, that so young a scientist is able to produce, but you also convince yourself with the greatest pleasure that this exceptional spiritual power combines with an amiable character, genuine unaffected determination and with that pure love of science and truth ...

--both quotes from I Stoll, "Christian Doppler - Man, work and message", in The Phenomenon of Doppler (Prague, 1992), 13-29.

We offer the following four items, two papers by Doppler in support of his new theory; and another two papers by the great mathematician Bernhard Bolzano, one beinbg a very early review and supporting piece (1843) on Doppler's great paper of 1842; and a second Bolzano on the work of Doppler, in general, published in 1847.)

1) Christian Doppler. "Weitere Mittheilungen, meine Theorie des farbigen Lichtes der Doppelsterne betreffend" in Annalen der Physik und Chemie; Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1852, volume 85 (161), where the  Doppler paper occupies pp. 371-378.  This appeared slightly earlier in the year inSitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaft, volume 8 (Kaiserl. Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse), 1852.  I reproduce Doppler's bibliography in the Kaiserl. document at teh end of this post--it may be interesting and useful.) 

2) Doppler:   Einige weitere Mittheilungen und Bemerkungen, meine Theorie des farbigen Lichtes der Doppelsterne etc betreffend. In Annalen der Physik, Volume 81, (#157), pp 270-275, 1850. 

And these two contributions from the great mathematician Bernhard Bolzano (an early champion of the genius of Doppler):

3) Bolzano, Bernhard.  Ein paar Bemerkungen ueber die neue Theorie  in Herrn Professor Chr. Doppler's Schrift: Ueber  das farbige Licht der Dopplesterne und einiger anderer GEstirne des Himmels.   In the Annalen der Physik, 1843, volume 60 (vol 136)  p 83-88.  (This appears in the Doppler bibliography below except under a somewhat different and abbreviated title.) (Bolzano bibliography/collected works as 1843b.)   (This is a very enthusiastic and, well, very supportive review of the young Doppler's work--Bolzano was one of the people very early on the scene to appreciate Doppler's genius (this beginning around 1837).)

4) Bolzano:  "Christ. Doppler's neueste Leistungen auf dem Gebiete der physikalischen Apparatenlehre, Akustik, Optik und optischen Astronomie”, Annalen der Physik, 72: 530–555 (Bolzano bibliography/collected works as 1847c.)  (A review and appreciation of Doppler's work.)

All bound in similar black cloth and marbled boards.  Very good condition.  $1500/all

.From the Dictionary of Scientific Biography:

"Doppler’s scientific fame rests on his enunciation of the Doppler principle, which relates the observed frequency of a wave to the motion of the source or the observer relative to the medium in which the wave is propagated. This appears in his article "Ueber das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne und einiger anderer Gestirne des Himmels" (read 25 May 1842). The correct elementary formula is derived for motion of source or of observer along the line between them; the extension to the motion of both at the same time appears in an article of 1846. Doppler mentions the application of this result both to acoustics and to optics, particularly to the colored appearance of double stars and to the fluctuations of variable stars and novae."(DSB).