Main Works on Electrodynamics (vol. 4): Conservation of Energy, Weber’s Planetary Model of the Atom and the Unification of Electromagnetism and Gravitation

Description

These translations include Weber's 8 major Memoirs on Electrodynamic Measurements. There are also English translations of 5 papers by Carl Friedrich Gauss, translations of part of the correspondence between Gauss and Weber, 1 paper by Weber and Friedrich Wohler, 2 papers by Weber and Rudolf Kohlrausch, 1 paper by Gustav Theodor Fechner, 1 paper by Johann Christian Poggendorff, 1 paper by François Felix Tisserand, 2 papers by Carl Neumann, and 3 papers by Gustav Kirchhoff.

Most of these works had never been translated before. They allow a broad overview of the main original publications related to Weber's Electrodynamics.

The translators include Laurence Hecht (his review), David H. Delphenich, Peter Marquardt, Hermann Haertel, Jonathan Tennenbaum, Peyman Ghaffari, Joa Weber and Urs Frauenfelder.

pp. 230-1 (PDF pp. 233-4):

Nuclear forces are not necessary in Weber’s model in order to stabilize the positive nuclei. After all, the positive particles of the nuclei are held together by purely electrodynamic forces. In modern physics, on the other hand, scientists had to postulate the existence of nuclear forces because they were no longer aware of Weber’s electrodynamics. Therefore, after the existence of the positive nuclei was established, they were faced with the problem of explaining the stability of the nuclei against the repulsive Coulombian forces between its positively charged components. To this end they postulated the nuclear forces. With Weber’s planetary model of the atom, on the other hand, we have an unification of electromagnetism with nuclear forces. This unification took place before these two branches of physics were separated from one another. Even the stability of the nuclei was predicted and explained by Weber’s electrodynamics.

pp. = PDF pp. 16 ff. are transl. of C. Neumann's paper on how retarded receptive/emissive potientials can lead to Weber's law:

Re: Frauenfelder's "Video-4 Delayed potentials and Weber’s Hamiltonian":

Duhem, in The Electric Theories of J. Clerk Maxwell: A Historical and Critical Study pp. 148-9, discusses

• Neumann, Carl. “Theoria nova phaenomenis electricis applicanda.” Annali di Matematica Pura ed Applicata 2, no. 1 (August 1, 1868): 120–28,

" which contained a summary of a theory that was later published in extenso " as

• Neumann, C.: “Die Principien der Elektrodynamik: eine mathematische Untersuchung.” Tübinger Universitätsschriften a. d. J. 1868. H. Laupp, 1868. Reprinted in Mathematischen Annalen , vol. 17, pp. 400–434 (1880).

Duhem writes (p. 149):

By considerations that would take too long to explain here, but can be found in the paper entitled: Die Principien der Elektrodynamik , Carl Neumann arrives at the expression of receptive potential ω\omega which gives the following equalities:
ω=w+dπdt,w=ee′r[1+1c2(drdt)2],π=ee′[logrc-12c2(drdt)2].\begin{aligned} \omega&=w+\frac{d\pi }{dt},\\ w&=\frac{ee'}{r}\left[ 1+\frac{1}{c^2}\left( \frac{dr}{dt}\right) ^2\right] ,\\ \pi&=ee'\left[ \frac{\log {r}}{c}-\frac{1}{2c^2}\left( \frac{dr}{dt}\right) ^2\right] . \end{aligned}From this expression of the emissive potential, Hamilton’s principle allows one to derive the expression of the force that each point experiences at time tt. This force is directed along the line that joins two points, is repulsive, and has the magnitude
ee′r2[1-1c2(drdt)2+2c2rd2rdt2]. \frac{ee'}{r^2}\left[ 1-\frac{1}{c^2}\left( \frac{dr}{dt}\right) ^2+\frac{2}{c^2}r\frac{d^2r}{dt^2}\right] . This is the force given by Weber’s law.

I'm glad to see that Frauenfelder has unfolded the "considerations that would['ve] take[n] too long [for Duhem] to explain" in his brief history of 19th cen. E&M.

commented English translations of other works related to Weber's Electrodynamics which were not included in the 4 volumes of the book Wilhelm Weber's Main Works on Electrodynamics Translated into English :

These new translations are available in PDF format in the links below.

• 1840, W. Weber, Unipolar induction
• 1862, W. Weber, On galvanometry
• 1874, W. Weber, On the equivalent of vis viva
• 1875, W. Weber, On the motions of electricity in bodies of molecular constitution
• 1892, Eduard Riecke, Memorial speech
• 1893, Heinrich Weber, "Wilhelm Weber
• 1894, W. Weber (published only posthumously in his collected works), "Comments on the paper
• 1894, W. Weber (published only posthumously in his collected works), On electrothermism
• 1894, W. Weber (published only posthumously in his collected works), "On galvanometry (excerpt)"
• 1894, W. Weber (published only posthumously in his collected works), Electroscopic and electrodynamic actions of free electricity in closed circuits

errata of vol. 4