| RefNo | MS/603/11/130 |
| Previous numbers | 2071 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from E T [Edmund Taylor] Whittaker, 35 George Square, Edinburgh, to Sir Joseph [Larmor] |
| Creator | Whittaker; Sir Edmund Taylor (1873-1956); British mathematician and astronomer |
| Recipient | Larmor; Sir Joseph (1857-1942); Irish theoretical physicist |
| Date | 9 October 1920 |
| Description | He was glad to hear about [Vito] Volterra, and the local Secertary is to send him an official invitation. Whittaker was delighted to have the new edition of [James Clerk] Maxwell's 'Matter and Motion', which he had not read for thirty years. His opinion remains that Maxwell was 'a wretched expositor...the work offends against every sound principle of pedagogy', but his genius makes the book perennially interesting to mature readers. He compares Maxwell to [Isaac] Todhunter, the latter being superor in his own field. With Larmor's notes, Maxwell's book will become the focus for all discussion of fundamentals. Whittaker next proposes to read [Alfred North] Whitehead's 'Concept of Nature' and [Arthur] Eddington's 'Space, Time and Gravitation'. He regrets not being able to stay in Strasbourg for long. |
| Extent | 1p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA2270 | Whittaker; Sir; Edmund Taylor (1873 - 1956); mathematician and astronomer | 1873 - 1956 |