Cambridge Science Classics – serie

This is a reissue of Professor Batchelor's text on the theory of turbulent motion, which was first published by Cambridge Unviersity Press in 1953. It continues to be widely referred to in the professional literature of fluid mechanics, but has not been available for several years. This classic account includes an introduction to the study of homogeneous turbulence, including its mathematic representation and kinematics. Linear problems, such as the randomly-perturbed harmonic oscillator and turbulent flow through a wire gauze, are then treated. The author also presents the general dynamics of decay, universal equilibrium theory, and the decay of energy-containing eddies. There is a renewed interest in turbulent motion, which finds applications in atmospheric physics, fluid mechanics, astrophysics, and planetary science.

The chief aim of this book is the reconstruction of the processes and events that have determined the present flora and vegetation of the British Isles, first of all through the long ages when natural conditions prevailed and cycles of glaciations and recessions and slow geological processes were in charge, and afterwards through the nearer and much shorter span of time during which, from the Neolithic onwards, human interference has progressively and severely altered the scene. This is an exercise in biogeography that Darwin called 'that grand subject, that almost keystone to the laws of nature'. But instead of adopting Darwin's conjectural approach, based largely on circumstantial evidence, what this 1975 second edition achieves is a factual reconstruction of events by records of the actual presence of individual species or genera, in large numbers, at particular sites and specified times through the geological and historic record.

David Lack's classic work on the finches of the Galapagos Islands (Darwin's Finches) was first published in 1947; few books have had such a great impact on evolutionary biology, indeed it is still one of the most succinct and fascinating treatises ever written about the origin of new species. The 1947 version is reproduced with facsimile pages of the original text, tables and line illustrations. The major feature of this reprint is the additional material supplied by Dr Peter Boag and Dr Laurene Ratcliffe who have both completed studies on the Galapagos. The readership will comprise students of evolution and ecology and those interested in the history of evolutionary thought. Amateur ornithologists and tourists visiting the Galapagos Islands will find this account fascinating.

More than half a century has elapsed since the first edition of The Elements of Aerofoil and Airscrew Theory appeared in 1926, a period in which massive advances have been made in the understanding and description of aerodynamic phenomena. Yet Glauert was an acknowledged master of his subject and his book remains the most lucid and best organised introduction to the fundamental principles of aerodynamics that has ever been written. This new paperback edition reprints the text of the second edition of 1947, with supplementary notes by H. B. Squire.

The exploration of the Universe, as conducted by physicists, astronomers, and cosmologists was one of the greatest intellectual adventures of the mid-twentieth century. This book, first published in 1971, tells the story of their achievements and the insight gained into the structure, history, working and scale of our Universe. Dr Sciama describes the major components of the Universe as understood at the beginning of the 1970s: the stars, galaxies, radio-galaxies and quasi-stellar objects. He discusses in detail the red shift of the lines in their optical spectra, which leads to the idea that the Universe is expanding. Theoretical discussion of the expanding Universe suggests the possibility that intergalactic space may contain a significant quantity of matter and be the seat of important physical activity. The issues involved are thoroughly debated. Also discussed is the discover and significance of the 3'K' cosmic microwave radiation, its relation to the hot big bang and the helium problem, to cosmic high energy processes and to questions of isotropy.

The reissue of this book will be received with pleasure by all who work with explosives, since it has long been regarded as a 'classic' in its area. The book describes the research of Bowden, Yoffe and their collaborators on explosive initiation. The work has a close relation to Bowden's other major area of study, namely friction and lubrication processes, which he undertook with David Tabor. The key to understanding friction is the realisation that solids in contact do not touch over what appears to be their full area of control, but only at local high spots (asperities). When the solids slide the intense deformation at these local regions can generate 'hot spots'. If one of the solids is an explosive the hot spot may cause ignition. Whether or not it does so depends on the balance of heat produced by chemical reaction and that lost by dissipative processes. What Bowden and Yoffe showed was that explosives are ignited almost invariably by thermal processes and though other processes have been identified their work still holds.

Agnes Arber's international reputation is due in part to her exceptional ability to interpret the German tradition of scholarship for the English-speaking world. The Mind and the Eye is an erudite book, revealing its author's familiarity with philosophy from Plato and Aristotle through Aquinas to Kant and Hegel; but it is not dull, because the quiet enthusiasm of the author shines through. In this book she turns from the work of a specialist in one science to those wider questions which any scientist must ask at intervals. What, in short, is the relationship between the eye that sees and the mind that weighs and pronounces? An important feature of this Cambridge Science Classics reissue is the introduction provided by Professor P. R. Bell, who as a Cambridge botany student at the time that Agnes Arber was writing The Natural Philosopby of Plant Form, is uniquely able to set The Mind and the Eye in the context of contemporary biological research.

In response to repeated requests this classic book on space-time structure by Professor Erwin Schrödinger is now available in the Cambridge Science Classics series. First published in 1950, and reprinted in 1954 and 1960, this lucid and profound exposition of Einstein's 1915 theory of gravitation still provides valuable reading for students and research workers in the field.

Bones was originally published in 1936 and is still essential reading for anyone entering bone research. A classic in the field of skeletal development, biology, anatomy and anthropology, the book sets out in clear and lucid prose the experimental basis for our current notions on how intrinsic and extrinsic (largely mechanical) factors interact in initiating differentiation of cartilage and bone, in shaping the skeleton and in regulating its growth. It established the skeleton as a dynamic, responsive system of tissues, not just inert bones. The present edition, in the Cambridge Science Classics Series, includes an introductory essay by Professor B.K. Hall, who was the last of Professor Murray's Ph.D. students and who is himself distinguished for his work in the area. Brian Hall provides an overview of research during the half-century since Bones was first published, on major topics covered in the book - the origin of skeletal cells, cartilage morphogenesis, the formation of joints, the trajectory theory and bone structure, growth of cartilage and bone.

First published in 1962 this book is a graduate-level introduction to the theory of electro-magnetic flow-measurement. Electromagnetic flowmeters have been in use for many years and are still one of the most widely used methods of measuring flow rates. Although the sophistication of the instrumentation has changed radically since Shercliff's book was first published, the theoretical principles expounded in the book are still relevant and sound. Students of mechanical engineering and research workers will find this reissue to be a useful and lucid exposition of the basic theory.

The publication of The Internal Constitution of the Stars by Arthur Eddington in 1926 was a major landmark in the development of modern theoretical astrophysics. Not only did Eddington effectively create the discipline of the structure, constitution, and the evolution of the stars, but he also recognised and established the basic elements of our present understanding of the subject. The influence of the book is indicated by the remark by H. N. Russell in 1945: 'This volume has every claim to be regarded as a masterpiece of the first rank'.

This classic book is essential reading for all those interested in the development of modern physics. Sir Arthur Eddington's account of the general theory of relativity, 'without,' as he says in his preface, 'introducing anything very technical in the way of mathematics, physics or philosophy', was first published in the exciting days of 1920 soon after the first objective tests of the theory had demonstrated its validity. The book was at once received with acclamation by reviewers and remains today one of the simplest and most straightforward accounts in print. The reviewer in the Athenaeum described it as 'a masterly book. The arrangement, the vigour and ease of the reasoning, the felicity of illustration, the clear, flexible prose and (we must mention it) the wit, make this book one of the most adequate and engaging attempts at the non-technical exposition of a scientific theory that it has ever been our good fortune to encounter.' This reissue includes a foreword by Sir Hermann Bondi, FRS, giving a brief appraisal of the book, and placing it in its historical and scientific context.

Herbals deal primarily with medicinal and culinary herbs, their real and supposed properties and virtues, and in origin they go back at least to the Ancient Greeks. During the 16th and 17th centuries they developed into attractively illustrated printed books, the forerunners of modern botanical and pharmaceutical textbooks. Agnes Arber's Herbals (first published in 1912, much revised in 1938) stands as the major survey of the period 1470 to 1670 when botany evolved into a scientific discipline separate from herbalism, a development reflected in contemporary herbals. Every work on herbals since 1912 has been indebted to Arber's classic. The present volume in the Cambridge Science Classics series, while retaining her main text unaltered, supplements this with two of her later writings on herbals, provides a biographical introduction, greatly extends the bibliography and has annotations modifying the original text through later enquiry. This added material will make this re-issue invaluable to librarians, historians of science, book-lovers and all with an interest in the early development of botany, pharmacy and book production, even if they already possess the long-unobtainable 1938 edition.

This classic book, long out of print, investigates the experimental determination of one of the fundamental constants of astrophysics and its significance for astronomy. The equations of general relativity include a constant lambda in their solution. If lambda is non-zero and positive, this represents the existence of a phenomenon of cosmical repulsion. In this book Eddington discussed the implications of this for models of the universe. The book offers a unique sidelight upon the history of ideas and Eddington's artistry. His evident enjoyment of writing and exposition shine through, and astrophysicists and historians of science will find that this reissue throws fascinating light on one of Britain's greatest scientists.