J. Cobine. Gaseous conductors. Theory and engineering applications, 1941, Mac Graw Hill Co., N. Y., p. 606.

J. Cobine. Gas Conductors. Theory and Technical Applications. 1941, p. 606.

The present book is the result of the author’s seven years of pedagogical activity in the engineering school of Harvard University (USA). The author’s aim was to create a serious course on the physical foundations and applications of gas discharge at low and high pressures for electrical-engineering students.

The book consists of the following 14 chapters: I—Introduction to the kinetic theory of gases (1–28); II—Motion of ions and electrons (29–58); III—Structure of the atom and radiation (59–77); IV—Ionization and deionization (78–105); V—Emission of electrons and ions by solids (106–122); VI—Volume charge and plasma (123–142); VII—Ionization in an electric field and breakdown of gases (143–204); VIII—Glow discharge (205–289); IX—Electric arc (290–370); X—Circuit breakers (371–416); XI—Gas-discharge rectifiers (417–471); XII—Theory of the rectifier circuit (472–511); XIII—Gas-discharge sources of light (512–546); XIV—Cathode oscillographs (547–568). Problems. Appendices. General bibliography. Index.

It must be acknowledged that, in general, the book under review has turned out to be very successful and interesting. We have here a fairly detailed and well-composed exposition of the basic physical processes of the gas discharge and, at the same time, of a number of its main practical applications. The author does not confine himself, as is sometimes done, to an exposition only of the discharge at low pressure, but dwells, in considerable detail, also on

F. Maxfield and R. Benedict, Theory of gaseous conduction and electronics, 1941. MacGraw Hill Co., N. Y., p. 483.

F. Maxfield and R. Benedict, Theory of Gas Conductivity and Electronics, 1941, p. 483.

As is evident from the preface, the present book is an adaptation of a semester course of lectures delivered to students of the electrical-engineering faculty of the University of Wisconsin (USA). The aim of the present course was to acquaint students with the general foundations of the physics of gas discharge and electronics as an introduction to the study of special courses on electrovacuum devices, which is very important for the conscious and successful use of the latter in various fields of electrical engineering: “in radio and communications, in industry, in high-voltage engineering, energy transmission, and at central stations.”

The book consists of the following 11 chapters: I — Introduction (1–16); II — Electrostatic Field (17–44); III — Motion of Charged Particles in a High Vacuum (45–60); IV — Molecular Theory of Gases (61–124); V — Conduction Processes (125–134); VI — Electron Emission: Theory and Typical Applications (135–224); VII — Ionization Processes (225–258); VIII — Formation of Ions in a Gas (259–286); IX — Potentials of Ignition, Spark, and Corona Discharge (287–310); X — Glow Discharge (311–356); XI — Arc Discharge (357–460). Appendices. Index. At the end of each chapter a certain number of problems and a brief bibliography are given.

The authors faced the very difficult task of acquainting, obviously, an unprepared reader with this new field of engineering, a field that is important and not very simple. Simplicity, clarity, and sufficient up-to-dateness of presentation, indications of the principal applications, 142 problems, a list of the basic literature, etc., will undoubtedly attract to this book a certain circle of readers who do not set themselves the goal of making this field their specialty, but who wish only to become acquainted with it in general outline. Without touching here on certain minor shortcomings of the exposition, it should, however, be noted that there is one principal, very substantial defect of this book as a whole, consisting in a very superficial exposition of a number of very important questions. For example, one can hardly think that the exposition given in the present book, say, of atomic and electronic optics, plasma theory, effective emitters, gas-discharge lamps, unsteady gas-discharge processes, etc., can give its reader anything really substantial. There is, of course, no need to point out how difficult it is to give a sufficiently coherent and not superficial exposition of such