I have a gem of a book, originally published over 100 years ago, and since 1959, a Dover reprint. I can't imagine than anyone here would not take delight in it. "Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold them" by C. Vernon Boys is an illustrated reproduction in book form of a series of lecture-hall demonstrations for high-school students. Boys was a Fellow of the Royal Society and among other posts was Demonstrator of Physics at the South Kensington Normal School of Science. The science in his book is still pertinent and extraordinarily accessible. [time passes] Google shows me that I recently wrote "There's a delightful little book in Dover reprint called "Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold Them" by C. Vernon Boys. It ranges much more widely than the title suggests. It is based on a series of entertaining and informative lectures given by Boys to a selected group of high school students in his university lecture hall. I commend it to anyone who can get ahold of a copy. For example, one of the lectures demonstrates an audio amplifier implemented with a stream of water issuing from a nozzle with a vane to capture the sound and falling on a diaphragm." It seems I'm getting forgetful: so sue me. The endorsement is worth repeating. Enjoy the book! Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Apropos nothing at all
Started by ●February 28, 2005
Reply by ●February 28, 20052005-02-28
Jerry Avins wrote:> I have a gem of a book, originally published over 100 years ago, and > since 1959, a Dover reprint. I can't imagine than anyone here would not > take delight in it. > > "Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold them" by C. Vernon Boys is an > illustrated reproduction in book form of a series of lecture-hall > demonstrations for high-school students. Boys was a Fellow of the Royal > Society and among other posts was Demonstrator of Physics at the South > Kensington Normal School of Science. The science in his book is still > pertinent and extraordinarily accessible. > > [time passes] > > Google shows me that I recently wrote > "There's a delightful little book in Dover reprint called "Soap Bubbles > and the Forces that Mold Them" by C. Vernon Boys. It ranges much more > widely than the title suggests. It is based on a series of entertaining > and informative lectures given by Boys to a selected group of high > school students in his university lecture hall. I commend it to anyone > who can get ahold of a copy. For example, one of the lectures > demonstrates an audio amplifier implemented with a stream of water > issuing from a nozzle with a vane to capture the sound and falling on a > diaphragm." > > It seems I'm getting forgetful: so sue me. The endorsement is worth > repeating. Enjoy the book! > > Jerry"Boys Book of Soapbubble Physics", eh? -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com
Reply by ●February 28, 20052005-02-28
"Jerry Avins" <jya@ieee.org> wrote in message news:FqOdnZIiXNER_r7fRVn-1w@rcn.net...>I have a gem of a book, originally published over 100 years ago, and since >1959, a Dover reprint. I can't imagine than anyone here would not take >delight in it. > > "Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold them" by C. Vernon Boys is an > illustrated reproduction in book form of a series of lecture-hall > demonstrations for high-school students. Boys was a Fellow of the Royal > Society and among other posts was Demonstrator of Physics at the South > Kensington Normal School of Science. The science in his book is still > pertinent and extraordinarily accessible.HG Wells (The Time Machine, etc.) studied at the Normal School. It's Imperial College, University of London, now. Leon
Reply by ●February 28, 20052005-02-28
Tim Wescott wrote:> Jerry Avins wrote: > >> I have a gem of a book, originally published over 100 years ago, and >> since 1959, a Dover reprint. I can't imagine than anyone here would >> not take delight in it. >> >> "Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold them" by C. Vernon Boys is an >> illustrated reproduction in book form of a series of lecture-hall >> demonstrations for high-school students. Boys was a Fellow of the >> Royal Society and among other posts was Demonstrator of Physics at the >> South Kensington Normal School of Science. The science in his book is >> still pertinent and extraordinarily accessible. >> >> [time passes] >> >> Google shows me that I recently wrote >> "There's a delightful little book in Dover reprint called "Soap Bubbles >> and the Forces that Mold Them" by C. Vernon Boys. It ranges much more >> widely than the title suggests. It is based on a series of entertaining >> and informative lectures given by Boys to a selected group of high >> school students in his university lecture hall. I commend it to anyone >> who can get ahold of a copy. For example, one of the lectures >> demonstrates an audio amplifier implemented with a stream of water >> issuing from a nozzle with a vane to capture the sound and falling on >> a diaphragm." >> >> It seems I'm getting forgetful: so sue me. The endorsement is worth >> repeating. Enjoy the book! >> >> Jerry > > > "Boys Book of Soapbubble Physics", eh?In my family, the book is called "Bubbles for Boys". I built the water powered audio amplifier -- it works. The principle behind it wonderfully illustrates an effect of surface tension. Among the interesting gadgets is a non-electric stroboscope that Boys used to project individual water droplets onto a screen for audience viewing. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●February 28, 20052005-02-28
Leon Heller wrote:>"Jerry Avins" <jya@ieee.org> wrote in message >news:FqOdnZIiXNER_r7fRVn-1w@rcn.net... > > >>I have a gem of a book, originally published over 100 years ago, and since >>1959, a Dover reprint. I can't imagine than anyone here would not take >>delight in it. >> >>"Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold them" by C. Vernon Boys is an >>illustrated reproduction in book form of a series of lecture-hall >>demonstrations for high-school students. Boys was a Fellow of the Royal >>Society and among other posts was Demonstrator of Physics at the South >>Kensington Normal School of Science. The science in his book is still >>pertinent and extraordinarily accessible. >> >> > >HG Wells (The Time Machine, etc.) studied at the Normal School. It's >Imperial College, University of London, now. > >Leon > >I might be wrong, but I think those lectures may have been the forerunner of the annual Christmas Lectures to Young People, given at the Royal Institution each year by someone eminent in their field. Well known names like Carl Sagan have given those. The BBC televises them, so now you don't need books - you can get the video. :-) I wonder where that term "Normal School" came from? I've never seen it in modern Britain, and it read rather oddly. In China all the generalist universities are called normal universities in the English versions of their names. I wonder if that terminology comes from the same source. Regard, Steve
Reply by ●February 28, 20052005-02-28
Steve Underwood wrote: ...> I might be wrong, but I think those lectures may have been the > forerunner of the annual Christmas Lectures to Young People, given at > the Royal Institution each year by someone eminent in their field. Well > known names like Carl Sagan have given those. The BBC televises them, so > now you don't need books - you can get the video. :-)I don't know about "forerunner". It may have been part of an ongoing tradition.> I wonder where that term "Normal School" came from? I've never seen it > in modern Britain, and it read rather oddly. In China all the generalist > universities are called normal universities in the English versions of > their names. I wonder if that terminology comes from the same source.It's in wide use in France. http://www.ens-lsh.fr/, par exemple. Et http://www.ens-lyon.fr/, etc. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●March 1, 20052005-03-01
Steve Underwood wrote:> > I wonder where that term "Normal School" came from? I've never seen it > in modern Britain, and it read rather oddly. In China all the generalist > universities are called normal universities in the English versions of > their names. I wonder if that terminology comes from the same source. >And it certainly raises the question -- what do they teach at abnormal schools? -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com
Reply by ●March 1, 20052005-03-01
"Steve Underwood" <steveu@dis.org> wrote in message news:d00k0k$9ak$1@home.itg.ti.com...> Leon Heller wrote: > >>"Jerry Avins" <jya@ieee.org> wrote in message >>news:FqOdnZIiXNER_r7fRVn-1w@rcn.net... >> >>>I have a gem of a book, originally published over 100 years ago, and >>>since 1959, a Dover reprint. I can't imagine than anyone here would not >>>take delight in it. >>> >>>"Soap Bubbles and the Forces that Mold them" by C. Vernon Boys is an >>>illustrated reproduction in book form of a series of lecture-hall >>>demonstrations for high-school students. Boys was a Fellow of the Royal >>>Society and among other posts was Demonstrator of Physics at the South >>>Kensington Normal School of Science. The science in his book is still >>>pertinent and extraordinarily accessible. >>> >> >>HG Wells (The Time Machine, etc.) studied at the Normal School. It's >>Imperial College, University of London, now. >> >>Leon > I might be wrong, but I think those lectures may have been the forerunner > of the annual Christmas Lectures to Young People, given at the Royal > Institution each year by someone eminent in their field. Well known names > like Carl Sagan have given those. The BBC televises them, so now you don't > need books - you can get the video. :-)I think they were on Channel 4 this year. I was at school in London over 45 years ago, and went to one of those lectures. I can't remember the topic. Leon
Reply by ●March 1, 20052005-03-01
Steve Underwood wrote:> I wonder where that term "Normal School" came from? I've never > seen it in modern Britain, and it read rather oddly. In China > all the generalist universities are called normal universities > in the English versions of their names. I wonder if that > terminology comes from the same source.http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=normal%20school -- Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Reply by ●March 1, 20052005-03-01
Tim Wescott wrote:> Steve Underwood wrote: > >> >> I wonder where that term "Normal School" came from? I've never seen it >> in modern Britain, and it read rather oddly. In China all the >> generalist universities are called normal universities in the English >> versions of their names. I wonder if that terminology comes from the >> same source. >> > And it certainly raises the question -- what do they teach at abnormal > schools?You don't want to know! Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
