Abstract
THE first and perhaps the most important lecture is of a general character, in which, together with an account of the historical development of the subject, Millikan provides an answer to the often recurring question: What good are cosmic rays? He discusses the supreme social importance of abstract scientific knowledge, first in its applications to everyday life, although these may be delayed for generations, secondly in providing the example of a network of established fact to such subjects as economics, politics, etc.
Cosmic Rays
Three Lectures, being the revision of the 1936 Page-Barbour Lectures of the University of Virginia and the 1937 John Joly Lectures of Trinity College, Dublin. By R. A. Millikan. Pp. viii + 134 + 22 plates. (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1939.) 8s. 6d. net.
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[Short Reviews]. Nature 145, 298 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/145298c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/145298c0