| RefNo | MS/603/8/6 |
| Previous numbers | 1345 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from H M [Hector Munro] Macdonald, 33 College Bounds, Old Aberdeen, to [Joseph] Larmor |
| Creator | Macdonald; Hector Munro (1865-1935); British mathematician |
| Recipient | Larmor; Sir Joseph (1857-1942); Irish theoretical physicist |
| Date | 28 November 1906 |
| Description | He was glad to get Larmor's views about [John Hilton] Grace, as Macdonald had been moving in the matter but the proposal could not come from him, as he was not an expert in algebra. The nomination will be 'fathered' by [William] Burnside and [Percy Alexander] MacMahon. He has looked into [James] Walker's book on light but does not like it; it belongs to the 'Whitakerian' kind of mathematical physics, without a sense of proportion, so that trifling problems receive more attention than important ones. He illustrates his criticism by referring to the section on the reflection and refraction of quartz, dismissed quickly and omitting the best treatment, which is by [Hendrik Antoon] Lorentz. Lorentz has done more for optics in the past half century than anyone, although he is not mentioned in the book. He concludes by asking for details of rearrangements in secondary education in Liverpool and technical eduation in Manchester. |
| Extent | 4p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA1351 | Macdonald; Hector Munro (1865 - 1935) | 1865 - 1935 |