The Command of Light: Rowland's School of Physics and the Spectrum (Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society) [Hardcover]

George Kean Sweetnam (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0871692384 | ISBN-13: 978-0871692382 | Publication Date: December 1, 2000

Henry Augustus Rowland (1848-1901) was one of the most important figures in the founding of modern physics in the U.S. A principal founder & first pres. of the Am. Physical Soc., he is best known for his invention of the concave spectral grating for which he won a gold medal & grand prize at the 1890 Paris Exposition. A grad. of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in civil engineering, Rowland was prof. of physics at Johns Hopkins U., where he had the principal part in forming the first school of Am. physicists to be professionally trained in the U.S. In this vol., George Kean Sweetnam, using Rowland's papers & those of his colleagues & students, has written the first scholarly exposition of Rowland's work.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 233 pages
• Publisher: Amer Philosophical Society (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871692384
• ISBN-13: 978-0871692382
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,556,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Draws upon Rowland's personal papers, March 15, 2001

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Command of Light: Rowland's School of Physics and the Spectrum (Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society) (Hardcover)

Henry Augustus Rowland (1848-1901) was one of the seminal figures in the founding of modern physics in the United States. A principal founder and first president of the American Physical Society, Rowland is best known for his invention of the concave spectral grating for which he won a gold medal and grand prize at the 1890 Paris Exposition. Rowland was also a professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University and an influential mentor for a generation of professional American physicists. Drawing upon Rowland's personal papers, as well as those of his colleagues and students, George Sweetnam has written the first scholarly exposition of Rowland's life and work. The Command Of Light: Rowland's School Of Physics And The Spectrum is an impressive, seminal, and invaluable contribution to the history of modern physics.