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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Copy of letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Thomson

Reference number: HS/24/224

Date: 11 August 1868

Description

Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Comments on William Thomson's paper on geological time. Unsatisfied with the efficiency of tidal friction in retarding the rotation of the earth. Considers effect of external attraction on a rotating body to relate to momentum.

Reference number
HS/24/224
Earliest possible date
11 August 1868
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript
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Creator name

John Frederick William Herschel

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Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Copy of letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Thomson, 11 August 1868, HS/24/224, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_24_224/copy-of-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-william-thomson, accessed on 22 March 2025

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  • Herschel Letters

    This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

    Dates: 1807 - 1875

    View collection