Table Of ContentHANDBOOK OF PHYSICS
McGRAW-HILL HANDBOOKS
Abbott and Smith • National Electrical Code Handbook, 9th ed.
Aljian • Purchasing Handbook
American Institute of Physics • American Institute of Physics Handbook
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASME Handbook: Engineering Tables
ASME Handbook: Metals Engineering—Design
ASME Handbook: Metals Engineering—Processes
ASME Handbook: Metals Properties
American Society of Tool Engineers • Die Design Handbook
American Society of Tool Engineers • Tool Engineers Handbook
Beeman • Industrial Power Systems Handbook
Berry, Bollay, and Beers • Handbook of Meteorology
Brady • Materials Handbook, Sth ed.
Cockrell • Industrial Electronics Handbook
Compressed Air and Gas Institute • Compressed Air Handbook, 2d ed.
Condon and Odishaw ■ Handbook of Physics
Considine • Process Instruments and Controls Handbook
Crocker • Piping Handbook, 4th ed.
Croft • American Electricians’ Handbook, 7th ed.
Davis • Handbook of Applied Hydraulics, 2d ed.
Etherington • Nuclear Engineering Handbook
Factory Mutual Engineering Division • Handbook of Industrial Loss Prevention
Fink • Television Engineering Handbook
Harris • Handbook of Noise Control
Hen net • Radio Engineering Handbook, 5th ed.
Hunter • Handbook of Semiconductor Electronics
Johnson and Auth • Fuels and Combustion Handbook
Juran • Quality-control Handbook
Ketoiium • Structural Engineers’ Handbook, 3d ed.
King • Handbook of Hydraulics, 4th ed.
Knowlton • Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, 9th ed.
Kurtz • The Lineman’s Handbook, 3d ed.
Labberton and Marks • Marine Engineers’ Handbook
Landee, Davis, and Albrecht • Electronic Designers’ Handbook
Laugiiner and Hargan • Handbook of Fastening and Joining of Metal Part«
Le Grand • The New American Machinist ’s Handbook
Liddell • Handbook of Nonferrous Metallurgy, 2 vols., 2d ed.
Magill, Holden, and Ackley • Air Pollution Handbook
Manas • National Plumbing Code Handbook
Mantell • Engineering Materials Handbook
Marks and Baumeister • Mechanical Engineers’ Handbook, 6th ed.
Markus and Zeluff • Handbook of Industrial Electronic Circuits
Markus and Zeluff • Handbook of Industrial Electronic Control Circuits
Maynard • Industrial Engineering Handbook
Merritt • Building Construction Handbook
Morrow • Maintenance Engineering Handbook
O’Rourke • General Engineering Handbook, 2d ed.
Pacific Coast Gas Association • Gas Engineers’ Handbook
Perry • Chemical Business Handbook
Perry • Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, 3d ed.
Siiand • Glass Engineering Handbook, 2d ed.
Staniar • Plant Engineering Handbook, 2d ed.
Terman • Radio Engineers’ Handbook
Tiutxal • Control Engineers’ Handbook
Urquiiart • Civil Engineering Handbook, 1th ed.
Yoder, Heneman, Turnbull, and Stone • Handbook of Personnel Management and Labor
Relations
HANDBOOK OF
PHYSICS
Prepared by a staff of specialists
Edited by
E. U. CONDON, Ph.D.
Way man Crow Professor of Physics
Washington University, St. Louis
Former Director, National Bureau of Standards
Washington, D. C.
HUGH ODISHAW, D.Sc.
Executive Director, U. S. National Committee for the
International Geophysical Year, National
Academy of Sciences, Washington, D. C.
Former Assistant to the Director, National Bureau
of Standardsy Washington, Z>. C.
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC.
New York Toronto London
1958
HANDBOOK OF PHYSICS
Copyright © 1958 by the McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. Printed in the
United States of America. All rights reserved. This book, or parts
thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 57-6387
THE MAPLE PRESS COMPANY, YORK, PA.
Contributors
Milton Abramowitz Clyde R. Burnett
Chief, Computation Laboratory Assistant Professor
National Bureau of Standards {deceased) The Pennsylvania State University
Lawrence H. Aller Herbert B. Callen
Professor of Astronomy Professor of Physics
University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania
Franz L. Alt G. M. Clemence
Assistant Chief Scientific Director
Applied Mathematics Division U.S. Naval Observatory
National Bureau of Standards E. U. Condon
R. D. Arnold Way man Crow Professor of Physics
Operations Analyst Washington University
Operations Evaluation Group E. Richard Cohen
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Advisor
K. R. Atkins Atomics International
A Division of North American Aviation, Inc.
Professor of Physics
University of Pennsylvania L. E. Copeland
Senior Research Chemist
John Bardeen
Portland Cement Association
Professor of Physics
Research and Development Laboratories
and Professor of Electrical Engineering
U?iiversity of Illinois C. F. Curtiss
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Richard A. Beth
University of Wisconsin
Physicist, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Jesse W. M. DuMond
R. Byron Bird
Professor of Physics
Professor of Chemical Engineering
California Institute of Technology
University of Wisconsin
Leonard Eisenbud
John P. Blewett
Physicist
Senior Physicist
Bartol Research Foundation
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Churchill Eisenhart
Robert R. Brown
Chief
Assistant Professor Statistical Engineering Laboratory
University of California, Berkeley National Bureau of Standards
Sanborn C. Brown William E. Forsythe
Associate Professor of Physics Lamp Division
Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Electric Company
William Fuller Brown, Jr. M. M. Frocht
Professor of Electrical Engineering Research Professor of Mechanics
University of Minnesota and Director of Experimental Stress Analysis
Stephen Brunauer Illinois Institute of Technology
Principal Research Chemist Lawrence S. Germain
Portland Cement Association University of California Radiation Laboratory
Research and Development Laboratories Livermore
CONTRIBUTORS
Walter Gordv Walter H. Johnson, Jr.
Professor of Physics, Duke University Research Associate
School of Physics
R. W. Gurney
University of Minnesota
Research Associate
University of Bristol {deceased) Deane B. Judd
Physicist
Andrew Guthrie
National Bureau of Standards
Heady Nucleonics Division
C. Lanczos
U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory
Senior Professor
David Halliday Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
Professor of Physics
Gerald L. Landsman
University of Pittsburgh
Assistant Director for Research and Development
Walter J. Hamer Military Electronics Division
Chiefy Electrochemistry Section Motorola, Inc.
National Bureau of Standards Howard R. Lillie
R. W. Hayward Staff Research Manager
Corning Glass Works
Radioactivity Section
National Bureau of Standards Julian Ellis Mack
Professor of Physics
Max J. Herzberger
University of Wisconsin
Senior Research Associate
Kodak Research Laboratories Robert Maurer
Professor of Physics
E. L. Hill
University of Illinois
Professor of Physics
University of Minnesota J. Rand McNally, Jr.
Physicist
John A. Hippie
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Director of Rcscarchy Philips Laboratories
Walter C. Michels
J. G. Hirsehberg
Marion Reillcy Professor of Physics
University of Wisco/ma Bryn Mawr College
Joseph 0. Hirschfelder Elliott W. Mont roll
Professor of Chemistry Research Professor
and Director of The University of irimmsm Institute for Fluid Dynamics and Applied
Naval Research Laboratory Mathematics
University of Wisconsin University of Maryland
Alan J. Hoilman Philip M. Morse
Consultant Professor of Physics
Management Consultation Services Massachusetts Institute of Technology
General Electric Company
(1. O. Muehlhause
Theodor Ilurliinann Chief of the Reactor Group
Reaktor Ltd. National Bureau of Standards
Wnerenlingen
Hamid H. Nielsen
Switzerland
Professor of Physics
Uno Ingarrl The Ohio State University
Associate Professor of Physics Alfred 0. Nier
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor
Fritz John tTniversity of Minnesota
Professor of Mathematics Richard M. Noyes
Institute of Mathematical Sciences Professor of Chemistry
New York University University of Oregon
