Abstract
THE title of this book, although a little lengthy, describes its contents with accuracy ; it is essentially a study of structure approached through the phenomena of elasticity and plasticity. To give an adequate impression of the wealth of information which it contains is very difficult ; perhaps the best way is to state that the substances discussed range from brass to bakers' dough. But, materials apart, the author (with the help of Dr. Burgers) has produced a remarkable treatise upon molecular physics, showing at every step how directly observable quantities like viscosity, tensile strength and so forth are connected with the type of structural unit in complex bodies, especially those of technological importance. It is the outlook of the physicist, sharply focused upon the chemist's problems. This point of view suggests something of the penetration of Kelvin, combined with a touch of Mendeleeff's power for anticipating the unknown.
Elasticity, Plasticity and Structure of Matter
By Dr. R. Houwink. With a Chapter on the Plasticity of Crystals, by Dr. W. G. Burgers. Pp. xviii + 376. (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1937.) 21s. net.
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RAWLINS, F. Elasticity, Plasticity and Structure of Matter. Nature 141, 810 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/141810a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/141810a0