B. A. VVEDENSKY. Physical Phenomena in Cathode Tubes. 2nd edition, revised and expanded. State Publishing House, 1926, 222 pp. Price 2 rubles 25 kopecks.

The appearance of the second edition of B. A. Vvedensky’s book is to be warmly welcomed. In the many books concerning the use of cathode tubes in radio engineering, the internal phenomena occurring in them are, for the most part, presented only in passing, in connection with a number of special problems. That is why a systematic and serious exposition of the theory of cathode tubes and of the physical processes occurring in them is a very necessary contribution to the literature, especially given the wide dissemination of cathode tubes in all areas of science, technology, and everyday life.

The book contains 9 chapters. In the first two chapters, questions of the atomic structure of electricity and the phenomena of electron emission by heated bodies are set forth. In Chapters III, IV, and V, the general theory of cathode tubes, questions of amplification, detection, and generation are examined in detail; at the same time all the newest circuits of radio engineering are noted and analyzed, such as Armstrong’s super-regenerative circuit, reflex circuits, and others. Chapter VI describes cathode tubes of special design: tubes with two and three grids, dynatrons, tubes with magnetic control. Chapters VII and VIII are especially important and interesting; they have been newly added by the author in the second edition. Here the methods for determining the basic parameters of cathode tubes are presented, and the application of cathode tubes in various physico-technical measurements is analyzed. The materials concerning the latter question have been collected and compiled by the author very fully. In Chapter IX, questions of the oscillations of ions and electrons in cathode tubes, interesting from the physical point of view, are examined.

The popular and clear, yet at the same time scientifically rigorous and factually rich presentation of all these questions makes B. A. Vvedensky’s booklet—

… not only a good, generally accessible guide, suitable for self-instruction and for higher schools, but also a valuable aid for anyone who wishes to work with cathode tubes.

Among the shortcomings of the book’s publication one should note the abundance of small type, used for the exposition of questions that are mathematically more difficult or that have a special character. The small type disrupts the unity of the book’s contents and distracts the reader’s attention. The excessively numerous indications of priority for various inventions and studies, as well as references to works without an exposition of their contents, are perhaps excessive, given the character of the book. The cover of the book is poorly chosen and does not suit its serious content.

S. Rzhevkin.