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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Second referee's report by Joseph John Thomson, on a paper 'The application of the kinetic theory of gases to to electric, magnetic & optical properties of diatomic gases' by George Walker Walker

Reference number: RR/15/277

Date: 12 December 1901

Description

Sectional committee: [Physics and chemistry]

He has considered the author's replies to his criticisms. Regarding the first point, on the validity of a certain assumption made by the author, he gathers from the reply that this assumption is only involved in a small part of the work. If this is the case he thinks an explicit statement to this effect should be given.

He discusses his second criticism regarding the impropriety of introducing a distribution function for the investigation of effects whose period is very small compared with the 'relaxation time'. He explains why he thinks no additional results of importance can be expected given the introduction of the function into the problem. He is confirmed in his opinion by the fact that Lorentz has solved the problem considered by the author, without introducing the distribution function, and obtained results which do not involve any quantities which have to be averaged. Regarding the last point he made, the result the author refers to was observed by Beccaria.

[Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, 1901].

Endorsed on recto as verso as received 11 December 1901.

Reference number
RR/15/277
Earliest possible date
12 December 1901
Physical description
Report on paper
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Joseph John Thomson

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Citation

Joseph John Thomson, Second referee's report by Joseph John Thomson, on a paper 'The application of the kinetic theory of gases to to electric, magnetic & optical properties of diatomic gases' by George Walker Walker, 12 December 1901, RR/15/277, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_15_277/second-referees-report-by-joseph-john-thomson-on-a-paper-the-application-of-the-kinetic-theory-of-gases-to-to-electric-magnetic-optical-properties-of-diatomic-gases-by-george-walker-walker, accessed on 21 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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