Bibliography

E. Grimsehl. A Physics Course for Students and Self-Study. Part 4. Magnetism and Electricity. First half. Translated under the editorship of Prof. A. I. Bachinsky. GIZ, 1927. 587 pp., price 6 rubles 50 kopecks.

As a supplement to the first three recently published parts of Prof. E. Grimsehl’s Course of Physics, in which are presented: physical measurements, mechanics, the physics of molecular forces (Vol. I); the theory of heat, the theory of weather (Vol. II); the theory of waves and acoustics (Vol. III), there has now appeared the first half of the fourth part—the theory of magnetism and electricity.

The name of Prof. E. Grimsehl has long been known in Russian physics literature through his excellent problems for laboratory student work on a unified plan and through his Didactics and Methodology of Physics, which appeared in 1911, when almost nothing had yet been written on this subject.

The newly published volume fully reflects Grimsehl’s ideas and his long pedagogical work: in various places in this volume we encounter instruments and methods of working with them familiar to us, described by Grimsehl earlier. This book is not a simple reworking of familiar teaching material; on the contrary, every difficult passage in it reveals to us the considerable inner work of an experienced teacher, who has contributed much that is original and useful for simplifying the understanding of what is being presented and for deepening insight into the essence of the questions discussed.

I had the good fortune personally to know Prof. E. Grimsehl, to attend his classes, and to observe his work with pupils in the classroom and in the laboratory. He was a lively person, with great initiative, an excellent experimenter, a talented teacher, and a good methodologist. All these high qualities enabled him to write an outstanding physics course and to enrich it with its fourth part, devoted to the theory of electricity and magnetism.

This part comprises the following eight chapters:
1. Magnetism. 2. Electrostatics. 3. Electrodynamics. 4. The transformation of electrical energy into thermal energy by the action of current. 5. Electrolysis. 6. Electromagnetism. 7. Mechanical effects of the electric current. 8. Induction. The book concludes with tables of physical constants and several tables for simplifying mathematical calculations.

In the scope of the material considered, and in the character and difficulty of its presentation, this book occupies an intermediate position between large courses

physics and small textbooks. In general, our author strives to remain at the level of comparatively modest mathematical knowledge on the reader’s part. However, not wishing for this reason to sacrifice rigor of exposition and proof, Grimsehl in many places makes use of the methods of differential and integral calculus, thereby giving all derivations rigor and completeness. But, fearing to burden and lose the ordinary reader, he places such derivations outside the main text, printed in larger type, in a separate section printed in smaller type. Those passages which he considers especially important—as, for example, the formulation of the fundamental laws and concepts—he prints in still larger and bold type, in order to fix them in the attention and memory of the students.

Taking into account that the eight chapters mentioned occupy 574 pages of compact type, it is easy to understand that they are set forth with quite sufficient detail and completeness. It must be noted, however, that Grimsehl, as a physicist-experimenter, gives due place not only to the experimental part, but also to calculations, measuring instruments, and practical applications.

Among the applications we may note: the use of the selenium element for photography at a distance; silundum—a new material for heating devices of various kinds; Osram-Azo lamps; refining copper and obtaining aluminum, magnesium, calcium, and other metals; preparation of calcium carbide; obtaining nitric acid from air; electric meters of various systems, etc.

Of the theoretical chapters, the questions of electric and magnetic fields and their properties are interestingly considered; the laws of electrolysis and the theory of ions; the Biot–Savart law; Ampère’s theory of magnetism; the theory of alternating currents and their properties.

Grimsehl illustrated many passages of his book with historical notes, in which he gives brief biographical and historical information concerning persons and invented instruments.

The book is very well produced: clear printing, good paper, a large number of well-executed drawings and diagrams facilitating the understanding of the text. All this makes E. Grimsehl’s book pleasant to use, and we have no doubt that it will soon find a large circle of readers. The fact that the translation from the German edition was edited by so experienced a person as Professor A. I. Bachinsky has also had a very favorable effect on the book. One can only regret one thing—its high price. Our student youth eagerly reaches for a new book, but most often turns away from it with sadness on their faces, since they are not in a position to buy an expensive book.

G. de Metz.