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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Letter from George Gabriel Stokes, to James Clerk Maxwell, regarding a paper 'On certain dimensional properties of matter in the gaseous state. - Part I. Experimental researches on thermal transpiration of gases through porous plates and on the laws of transpiration and impulsion, including an experimental proof that gas is not a continuous plenum. - Part II. On an extension of the dynamical theory of gas, which includes the stresses, tangential and normal, caused by a varying condition of gas, and affords an explanation of the phenomena of transpiration and impulsion' by Osborne Reynolds

Reference number: RR/8/190

Date: 03 June 1879

Description

The Committee has agreed to publication of the first part, with no decision yet on the mathematical second part, which will require alterations. William Thomson, Lord Kelvin [RR/8/189] is willing for his report to be seen by James Clerk Maxwell, who is willing to let his be seen in turn [RR/8/188]. Suggests they communicate and agree to a set of recommendations for the author.

William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin notes on 6 June 1879 - The author will see no offense is meat by his remarks in the report. Suggests he refer more explicity to Schmidt [?], Rudolf Clausius, James Clerk Maxwell, Peter Guthrie Tait, James Dewar and George Johnstone Stoney.

Subject: Physics and Chemistry

[Published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 1879]

Reference number
RR/8/190
Earliest possible date
03 June 1879
Physical description
Letter on paper
Page extent
2 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

James Clerk Maxwell

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Citation

James Clerk Maxwell, Letter from George Gabriel Stokes, to James Clerk Maxwell, regarding a paper 'On certain dimensional properties of matter in the gaseous state. - Part I. Experimental researches on thermal transpiration of gases through porous plates and on the laws of transpiration and impulsion, including an experimental proof that gas is not a continuous plenum. - Part II. On an extension of the dynamical theory of gas, which includes the stresses, tangential and normal, caused by a varying condition of gas, and affords an explanation of the phenomena of transpiration and impulsion' by Osborne Reynolds, 03 June 1879, RR/8/190, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_8_190/letter-from-george-gabriel-stokes-to-james-clerk-maxwell-regarding-a-paper-on-certain-dimensional-properties-of-matter-in-the-gaseous-state-part-i-experimental-researches-on-thermal-transpiration-of-gases-through-porous-plates-and-on-the-laws-of-transpiration-and-impulsion-including-an-experimental-proof-that-gas-is-not-a-continuous-plenum-part-ii-on-an-extension-of-the-dynamical-theory-of-gas-which-includes-the-stresses-tangential-and-normal-caused-by-a-varying-condition-of-gas-and-affords-an-explanation-of-the-phenomena-of-transpiration-and-impulsion-by-osborne-reynolds, accessed on 24 June 2025

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_8_190/letter-from-george-gabriel-stokes-to-james-clerk-maxwell-regarding-a-paper-on-certain-dimensional-properties-of-matter-in-the-gaseous-state-part-i-experimental-researches-on-thermal-transpiration-of-gases-through-porous-plates-and-on-the-laws-of-transpiration-and-impulsion-including-an-experimental-proof-that-gas-is-not-a-continuous-plenum-part-ii-on-an-extension-of-the-dynamical-theory-of-gas-which-includes-the-stresses-tangential-and-normal-caused-by-a-varying-condition-of-gas-and-affords-an-explanation-of-the-phenomena-of-transpiration-and-impulsion-by-osborne-reynolds

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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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