Mathematical and Physical Papers Volume 4

Sir George Stokes (1819–1903) established the science of hydrodynamics with his law of viscosity describing the velocity of a small sphere through a viscous fluid. He published no books, but was a prolific lecturer and writer of papers for the Royal Society, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the Victoria Institute and other mathematical and scientific institutions. These collected papers (issued between 1880 and 1905) are therefore the only readily available record of the work of an outstanding and influential mathematician, who was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in Cambridge for over fifty years, Master of Pembroke College, President of the Royal Society (1885–1890), Associate Secretary of the Royal Commission on the University of Cambridge and a Member of Parliament for the University.

1. On the change of refrangibility of light; 2. On the optical properties of a recently discovered salt of quinine; 3. On the change of refrangibility of light and the exhibition thereby of the chemical rays; 4. On the cause of occurrence of abnormal figures in photographic impressions of polarised rings; 5. On the metallic reflexion exhibited by certain non-metallic substances; 6. Extracts from letter to Dr W. Haidinger: on the direction of the vibrations in polarised light: on shadow patterns and the chromatic aberration of the eye: on Haidinger's brushes; 7. On the theory of electric telegraph; 8. On the achromatism of a double object-glass; 9. Remarks on Prof. Challis' paper, entitled 'A theory of the composition of Colours, etc.'; 10. Supplement to the 'Account of pendulum experiments undertaken in the Harton Colliery…'; 11. On the polarisation of diffracted light; 12. On the discontinuity of arbitrary constants which appear in divergent developments; 13. On the effect of wind on the intensity of sound; 14. On the existence of a second crystallisable fluorescent substance (paviin) in the bark of the horse-chestnut; 15. On the bearing of the phenomena of diffraction on the direction of the vibrations of polarised light; 16. Note on paviin; 17. On the colouring matters of madder; 18. Extracts relating to the early history of spectrum analysis; 19. Note on internal radiation; 20. On the intensity of the light reflected from or transmitted through a pile of plates; 21. Report on double refraction; 22. On the long spectrum of electric light; 23. On the change of form assumed by wrought iron and other metals when heated and then cooled by partial immersion in water; 24. On the supposed identity of biliverdin with chlorophyll, with remarks on the constitution of chlorophyll; 25. On the discrimination of organic bodies by their optical properties; 26. On the application of the optical properties of bodies of detection and discrimination of organic substances; 27. On the reduction and oxidation of the colouring matter of the blood; 28. On a property of curves; 29. On the internal distribution of matter which shall produce a given potential at the surface of a gravitating mass; 30. Supplement to a paper on the discontinuity of arbitrary constants which appear in divergent developments; 31. On the communication of vibration from a vibrating body to a surrounding gas; 32. Account of observations of the total eclipse of the sun…; 33. On a certain reaction of quinine; 34. Explanation of a dynamical paradox; 35. On the law of extraordinary refraction in Iceland Spar; 36. Sur l'emploi du prisme dans la vérification de la loi de la double réfraction; 37. Notice of the researches of the late Rev. W. Vernon Harcourt on the conditions of transparency in glass and the connexion between the chemical constitution and optical properties of different glasses; 38. On the principles of the chemical correction of object-glasses; 39. On the improvement of the spectroscope; 40. On the construction of a perfectly achromatic telescope; 41. On the optical properties of a titano-silicic glass; 42. On a phenomenon of metallic reflection; 43. Preliminary note on the compound nature of the line-spectra of elementary bodies; Appendix; Index.

Sir George Stokes established the science of hydrodynamics with his law of viscosity describing the velocity of a small sphere through a viscous fluid. He published no books, and these collected papers (issued between 1880 and 1905) constitute the main surviving record of the work of this outstanding mathematician.