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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Referee's report by William Mitchinson Hicks, on a paper 'The pear shaped and other figures of equilibrium of a rotating mass of liquid' by George Howard Darwin

Reference number: RR/15/173

Date: September 1901

Description

Sectional committee: Mathematics

Recommended for publication in Philosophical Transactions in full provided it is decided to publish also the paper on ellipsoidal harmonies, referred to in the paper. No modifications are required. The paper is of value for two reasons; it contains the development of the ellipsoidal harmonies of different ranks of the first three orders which will be of permanent value for other investigations, and the actual evaluations for the forms of equilibrium near the case where Jacobi's ellipsoid becomes unstable are interesting. Although the author has not succeeded in proving the stability of the pear shaped form his attempt will clear the ground and may induce others to take up the question. The paper should have been referred to the same referee as that on the harmonies, which he has not seen. The method of the present paper, apart from the calculations, is quite clear.

[Published in Philosophical Transactions A, 1902].

Endorsed on verso as received 1 October 1901.

Reference number
RR/15/173
Earliest possible date
September 1901
Physical description
Standardised form (type A)
Page extent
2 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

William Mitchinson Hicks

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William Mitchinson Hicks, Referee's report by William Mitchinson Hicks, on a paper 'The pear shaped and other figures of equilibrium of a rotating mass of liquid' by George Howard Darwin, September 1901, RR/15/173, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_15_173/referees-report-by-william-mitchinson-hicks-on-a-paper-the-pear-shaped-and-other-figures-of-equilibrium-of-a-rotating-mass-of-liquid-by-george-howard-darwin, accessed on 18 April 2026

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  • Referee Reports

    This collection contains reports on scientific papers submitted for publication to the Royal Society. Started in 1832 when the system was formalised, it is a record of the origins of peer review publishing in practice.

    Dates: 1832 - 1954

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