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RefNoMS/603/1/38
LevelItem
TitleLetter from W E [William Edward] Ayrton, 41 Norfolk Square, Hyde Park, to Dr. [Joseph] Larmor, St. John's College
CreatorAyrton; William Edward (1847-1908) British electrical engineer and physicist
Date25 July 1907
DescriptionHe gives thanks for Larmor's letter of 24 July and responds to the last paragraph of it. His instinct on the paper on the 'Current Weigher' was to write an appendix dealing with the history of the determination of the ampere, like the third appendix in 'Practical Electricity', which he sends. That dealt with the Board of Trade's units of resistance and electrical standards in a general way for students. It was written eleven years ago, when he and Viriamu Jones were determining the Ohm. He sends the 1896 book partly to prove that although he and Jones were starting on the determination of the ohm, he was mindful of the pioneering work done before, by others. Since the last meeting of the Royal Society he has been regretting that he emphasised the contributions of those who worked with him on determination of the ampere, such as Jones and Smith, and gave too little weight to the historical side. He is sorry for the omission and the referees' remarks strengthen that opinion. If an addition to an already long paper is permitted, he would like to remedy matters, if only to express gratitude to Lord Rayleigh. He does not know the names of the referees, but asks if Larmor could hint gratitude on his behalf. The electrotechnical press has been jeering at him for living in the past and becoming a hero worshipper, while others have been attacking him for being too revolutionary.
Extent4p.
FormatManuscript
PhysicalDescriptionInk on paper
AccessStatusOpen
Fellows associated with this archive
CodePersonNameDates
NA8037Ayrton; William Edward (1847 - 1908)1847 - 1908
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