[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Sir Oliver Lodge],
Title
[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Sir Oliver Lodge],
Creator
Date
Identifier
GFF 2/29
Description
Handwritten letter from Sir Oliver Lodge, 2 Grove Park, Liverpool, to George F. Fitzgerald, dated 1 February 1896. Lodge discusses the physics theories regarding propagation of longitudinal waves. He mentions the physicists J.J. Thomson, James Clerk Maxwell, Philipp Lenard and Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen. 2pp.
Transcription:
"M d Φ
J.J. has a notion that by [dividing?] + and - charges amassed waves of similar size so as not to average up the propagation of molecules but to distribute the [u?] then Maxwell's equation allows a finite propagation of longitudinal waves. I don't like it when he takes bad equations without your recommendations. But he's likely to be right of course if he really has gone into it. It seems to me however that he's knocking his head on that bother of longitudinal propagation of electrostatic potential. We have got effect from sun + arc and em [fas?] lamps- but all are spurious. Light gets through thin aluminium [?]. I can't make out about Packer. I expect he's spurious too. See this weeks Electrician for my articles re Lenard. I don't think you had better depend much on Rontgen's 1/d2. If you want to [?] a pulsating repair with a different law.
Λ"
Transcription:
"M d Φ
J.J. has a notion that by [dividing?] + and - charges amassed waves of similar size so as not to average up the propagation of molecules but to distribute the [u?] then Maxwell's equation allows a finite propagation of longitudinal waves. I don't like it when he takes bad equations without your recommendations. But he's likely to be right of course if he really has gone into it. It seems to me however that he's knocking his head on that bother of longitudinal propagation of electrostatic potential. We have got effect from sun + arc and em [fas?] lamps- but all are spurious. Light gets through thin aluminium [?]. I can't make out about Packer. I expect he's spurious too. See this weeks Electrician for my articles re Lenard. I don't think you had better depend much on Rontgen's 1/d2. If you want to [?] a pulsating repair with a different law.
Λ"
Source
RDS Library & Archives GFF collection of letters
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Relation
RDS Science Archive
Format
Manuscript
Language
English
Type
Coverage
1870-1901
Collection
Citation
Lodge, Oliver, Sir, 1851-1940, “[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Sir Oliver Lodge],,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/1289.