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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'The wave of translation and the work it does as the carrier wave of sound' by John Scott Russell

Reference number: AP/61/5

Date: 1881

Description

Russell presents a short history of the wave of translation [Russell's solitary wave], which he discovered in 1832-3; an investigation of its shape, nature, speed, and difference from all other waves in its character as a solitary carrier wave; the application of this solitary wave in air to the carrying of sound; and errors of the phrases in general use for the explanation of the conveyance of sound.

Marked on front as 'Archives Oct 27/81'.

Subject: Physics

Received 13 June 1881.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 32 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'The wave of translation and the work it does as the carrier wave of sound'.

Reference number
AP/61/5
Earliest possible date
1881
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
119 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

John Scott Russell

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Citation

John Scott Russell, Unpublished paper, 'The wave of translation and the work it does as the carrier wave of sound' by John Scott Russell, 1881, AP/61/5, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_61_5/unpublished-paper-the-wave-of-translation-and-the-work-it-does-as-the-carrier-wave-of-sound-by-john-scott-russell, accessed on 25 March 2025

Link to this record

https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_61_5/unpublished-paper-the-wave-of-translation-and-the-work-it-does-as-the-carrier-wave-of-sound-by-john-scott-russell

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  • Archived Papers

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

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