Popular Scientific Lectures

The book presents the most important ideas popular in the scientific circles at the beginning of the last century. The articles include the following topics: the velocity of light, the fundamental concepts of electromagnetics, energy conservation, the principles of comparison in physics, remarks on the theory of special vision.

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Excerpt from Popular Lectures on Scientific Subjects In compliance with many requests, I beg to offer to the public a series of popular Lectures which I have delivered on various occasions. They are designed for readers who, without being professionally occupied with the study of Natural Science, are yet interested in the scientific results of such studies. The difficulty, felt so strongly in printed scientific lectures, namely, that the reader cannot see the experiments, has in the present case been materially lessened by the numerous illustrations which the publishers have liberally furnished. The first and second Lectures have already appeared in print; the first in a university programme which, however, was not published. The second appeared in the 'Kieler Monatsschrift' for May, 1853, but owing to the restricted circulation of that journal, became but little known; both have, accordingly, been reprinted. The third and fourth Lectures have not previously appeared. These Lectures, called forth as they have been by incidental occasions, have not, of course, been composed in accordance with a rigidly uniform plan. Each of them has been kept perfectly independent of the others. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Popular Scientific Lectures Popular lectures, owing to the knowledge they presuppose, and the time they occupy, can afford only a modicum of instruction. They must select for this purpose easy subjects, and restrict themselves to the exposition of the simplest and the most essential points. Nevertheless, by an appropriate choice of the matter, the charm and the poetry of research can be conveyed by them. It is only necessary to set forth the attractive and the alluring features of a problem, and to show what broad domains of fact can be illuminated by the light radiating from the solution of a single and ofttimes unobtrusive point. Furthermore, such lectures can exercise a favorable influence by showing the substantial sameness of scientific and every-day thought. The public, in this way, loses its shyness towards scientific questions, and acquires an interest in scientific work which is a great help to the inquirer. The latter, in his turn, is brought to understand that his work is a small part only of the universal process of life, and that the results of his labors must redound to the benefit not only of himself and a few of his associates, but to that of the collective whole. I sincerely hope that these lectures, in the present excellent translation, will be productive of good in the direction indicated. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Austrian physicist Ernst Mach (1838-1916) gave the twelve lectures presented here between 1864 and 1894. This English translation appeared in 1895. Mach discusses a range of scientific topics, addressing electrostatics, the conservation of energy, and why humans have two eyes. The final four lectures are more philosophical in nature.