Rydberg, Johannes On the Structure of Line-Spectra of the Chemical Elements in The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science Volume 29 pp. 331–337, 1890 WITHBOUND, Volume 30, 1890, including significant papers by Michelson, Edgeworth, Thomson & Boys
London: Richard Taylor, 1890. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF THE WORK IN WHICH JOHANNES RYDBERG PRESENTS THE RYDBERG CONSTANT, HIS MATHEMATICAL FORMULA FOR THE SPECTRAL LINES OF HYDROGEN & OTHER ATOMS OR IONS WITH ONLY ONE ELECTRON – a work justified and expanded upon by Niels Bohr's development of the quantum model of atomic structure in 1913 when Bohr was able to use his own theory to derive Rydberg's results, providing confirmation of both. NOTE that this is a compromised copy missing its boards, but that the text block is solid and it is bright and clean throughout and TWO FULL VOLUMES are included, BOTH volumes 29 and 30.
Johannes Rydberg (1854-1919) was a Swedish physicist at Lund University who studied atomic masses and electromagnetic radiation; inspired by Mendeleev's periodic table, he was convinced that the electromagnetic spectra emitted by atoms could provide insight into atomic structure and theory. "Notwithstanding the imperfect spectroscopic tables then at his disposal, Rydberg discovered most of the important properties of series spectra, including the relation between corresponding series in the spectra of related elements, and foreshadowed discoveries which were made later, when experimental work has sufficiently advanced” (Nature Obituary, January 24, 1920).
From his discoveries of the important elements of series spectra, Rydberg developed a mathematical formula for the spectral lines of hydrogen and other atoms or ions with only one electron. Rydberg’s insight came from using “wavenumber” (the inverse of the wavelength) in his calculations. He plotted the wave numbers of the spectral lines against integers in different series and found that the resulting curves had similar shapes. Using this insight, he developed a function (called the “Rydberg formula”) to model these curves.
Rydberg’s formula mapped a total approach with remarkable clarity, “conceiving of the spectrum of an element as composed of the superposition of three different types of series - one in which the lines were comparatively sharp, one in which the lines were more diffuse, and a third that he called principal series even though they consisted mostly of lines in the ultraviolet. The first lines were located in the visible spectrum and were usually the most intense. The members of each series might be single, double, triple, or of higher multiplicity. Any particular elementary spectrum might contain any number (even zero) of series of each of the basic types" (DSB).
INCLUDED IN VOLUME 29: Thomson “On the Passage of Electricity through Hot Gases,” pp. 441-449.
INCLUDED IN VOLUME 30: “On the Application of Interference Methods to Astronomical Measurements” by Albert Michelson, pp. 1-21 (illustrated and with plates). ALSO: C. V. Boys “Notes on Photographs of Rapidly Moving Objects and on the Oscillating Electric Spark”, pp. 248-260, the first time high-speed photography was able to record oscillations (the audio tone of a spark). ALSO: Francis Ysidro Edgeworth’s “On Problems in Probabilities, No. 2, pp. 171-188, a political economist who made significant contributions to the methods of statistics. ALSO: Thomson “On Some Experiments on the Velocity of Transmission of Disturbances and their Application to the Theory of the Striated Discharge through Gases”, pp. 129-140. Item #1097
CONDITION & DETAILS: London: Richard Taylor. Two full volumes bound together. 8vo. Vol. 29: 524pp. Ten plates. Vol. 30: 512pp. Eleven plates. Missing front and rear boards as well as the spine. The text block, however, is holding and the volume is very solid. There are closed small tears to the first few pages (table of contents and one text page) and slight fraying at the edge of one fold-out plate. While a compromised copy, two volumes are included and the interior is bright and very clean throughout and could easily be rebound.
Price: $325.00