Item #927 The Scattering of Electrons by a Single Crystal of Nickel [Davisson & Germer, pp. 558-560] WITH Diffraction of Cathode Rays by a Thin Film [Thomson & Reid, p. 890] WITH The Continuous Spectrum of -Rays [Ellis & Wooster, pp. 563-564] WITH Physical Aspects of Quantum Mechanics [Born, pp. 354-357] WITH Supplement to Nature: The Bicentenary of Newton’s Death [Bound in pp. 1-100] in Nature 119, 1927. C. J. Davisson, L. H. WITH Thomson Germer, George, G. WITH Ellis Reid, C. D., W. A. WITH Born Wooster, M., Max.

The Scattering of Electrons by a Single Crystal of Nickel [Davisson & Germer, pp. 558-560] WITH Diffraction of Cathode Rays by a Thin Film [Thomson & Reid, p. 890] WITH The Continuous Spectrum of -Rays [Ellis & Wooster, pp. 563-564] WITH Physical Aspects of Quantum Mechanics [Born, pp. 354-357] WITH Supplement to Nature: The Bicentenary of Newton’s Death [Bound in pp. 1-100] in Nature 119, 1927

London: Macmillan, 1927. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITIONS OF FOUR VERY IMPORTANT PHYSICS PAPERS, TWO OF WHICH CONFIRMED DE BROGLIE’S HYPOTHESIS ON THE WAVE NATURE OF MATTER. Davisson and Thomson shared the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the experimental discovery of the diffraction of electrons by crystals" (Nobel Prize Portal).

(1) DAVISSON & GERMER’S 1927 confirmation of de Broglie's hypothesis --the first observation of the wave nature of electrons. de Broglie’s wave-particle duality hypothesis and this 1927 confirmation were major steps forward in the experimental confirmation of quantum mechanics. Though Davisson’s discovery was somewhat “accidental”, it is considered the “definitive confirmation of de Broglie’s hypothesis” (L’Annunziata, Radioactivity, 428; Brush, Making 20th Century Science, 224).

(2) THOMSON & REID’s purposefully set out to prove de Broglie’s hypothesis, the wave nature of the electron. Together they designed an instrument to observe diffraction effects, specifically using transmission geometry with high-energy electrons (Davisson and Germer had used reflection diffraction geometry with low-energy electrons.

(3) ELLIS & WOOSTER here demonstrate that beta decay does not conserve energy (they did not know of the existence of the neutrino at the time).. “By measuring the average energy of disintegration of electrons in the beta decay of radium E”, Ellis and Wooster “firmly established that the energy spectrum of electrons emitted in beta decay was continuous” (Hon, Going Amiss in Experimental Research, 227).

(4) MAX BORN’S first description in English of his revolutionary new probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics. In 1926, Born published, in German, a series of papers entitled “Zur Quantenmechanik der Stoßvorgänge”. The papers presented, explained, and developed Born’s probability interpretation (also known as the statistical interpretation) for the first time. In this paper, Born explains that work in English for the first time with the additional goal of making “an attempt to understand the physical significance of the quantum theoretical formulae” as a whole (Born, Nature 119, 1927).

ALSO INCLUDED: a hundred page “Supplement to Nature: The Bicentenary of Newton’s Death” bound in.

NOTE THAT WE SEPARATELY OFFER THE 1927 THOMSON & REID PAPER AND THE 1928 THOMSON PAPER ON THE SAME SUBJECT IN ORIGINAL WRAPS. WE ALSO OFFER DE BROGLIE’S SEMINAL PAPER IN BOTH ORIGINAL WRAPS AND BOUND. Item #927

CONDITION & DETAILS: London: Macmillan. Complete volume. 4to. 10.5 x 8 inches (262 x 200mm). [lix], 948, [100], 4. Ex-libris bearing only minimal markings on the title page and none on the spine. Full, complete volume. Handsomely and professionally rebound in half leather. 5 raised bands at the spine, gilt-ruled. One red morocco label; one black morocco label; both gilt-lettered. Tightly and very solidly bound. Clean and bright throughout. Near fine condition.

Price: $1,000.00

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