Referee's report by Joseph Larmor, on a paper 'The kinetic theory of planetary atmospheres. Part I' by George Hartley Bryan

Description

Sectional committee: Physics and chemistry

Recommended for publication in Philosophical Transactions, in full.. The physical part of the discussion should be made more complete and more reference made to the arguments on the other side of the question. The illustration in the text should be reproduced.

Since Dr Bryan gave an account of his work at the British Association, a paper has been published by Cook in the 'Atrophysical Journal' in which the same conclusion is reached; that helium could not escape from the earth. Dr Stoney has challenged these conclusions in 'Nature'. He encloses a memoranda by [George Johnstone] Stoney comprising a powerful argument based on very striking data supplied to him by Professor Ramsay, that helium does escape [item not attached]. The main faults with the paper are that it is rather hastily put together, that the proof of the main principal should not be obscurely quoted from a British Association Report and there there should be a fuller discussion of the physical affects of the problem, and of previous work such as that of Stoney and Cook, and Kelvin and Ritter on atmospheres. The memoir should be complete in itself, unless Byran proposes to write a part II. The ideas and calculations in the memoir will be of great value to future speculations but it might be well if some indication of the arguments on the other side of the question were inserted.

[Published in Philosophical Transactions A, 1901].

Endorsed on verso as received 29 May 1900.

Reference number

RR/15/23

Earliest possible date

20 May 1900

Physical description

Standardised form (type A) and note on paper

Page extent

5 pages

Format

Manuscript