1953 09 21 American Journal of Physics - Vol 21 No 6 - Chapman

Magazine Overview

This document is a page from the American Journal of Physics, Volume 21, Issue 6, published in 1953 by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The primary focus of the visible content is a review of the book "Flying Saucers" by Donald H. Menzel and Seville Chapman, alongside reviews of two other physics textbooks.

Review of "Flying Saucers"

The review, penned by R. J. Stephenson, discusses Donald H. Menzel's book "Flying Saucers." Menzel, Associate Director of the Harvard College Observatory, is presented as having a significant interest in the topic. The book posits that flying saucers have a long history, dating back to Biblical times, and notes that approximately 1157 "unexplained" sightings were recorded since 1947. Menzel's book is described as a popular, humorous, and entertaining mix of history, science, yarns, and investigations.

The reviewer highlights Menzel's assertion that many saucer sightings are explainable by natural phenomena such as meteors, planets, stars, lenticular clouds, search lights, birds, aircraft, their condensation trails, kites, aurora, St. Elmo's fire, balloons, and hoaxes. Other phenomena are attributed to more obscure optical effects like halos, glories, coronas, sun-dogs, mock suns or moons, and various refraction/reflection effects, including radar ducts and "air lenses." The review mentions that a dozen or more well-known saucer stories are discussed in detail.

For scientists interested in atmospheric optics, the reviewer recommends Humphrey's "Physics of the Air" or Neuberger's article in the "Compendium of Meteorology." Menzel's popularized scientific explanations are deemed sound, with only minor inaccuracies noted. The reviewer expresses amazement at Menzel's research, citing examples from Ezekiel's wheels in the Bible, "Strange Signes from Heaven" (1646), and a "Strange Celestial Visitor" (1882) with detailed specifications (height 130 miles, length 70 miles, width 10 miles, speed 10 miles per second), which Menzel suggests might have been an unusual form of auroral activity. The review also notes the book's coverage of the "Little Men from Venus" story.

The book's scope is broad, mentioning topics such as atom bombs, ball lightning, Cottrell precipitators, rain making, relativity, rocket ships, Russia, Shakespeare, Orson Welles, and Menzel's own research on the funneling action of the Earth's magnetic field on ion beams from the sun.

The reviewer concludes that Menzel's account does not inflame hysteria about extraterrestrial visitors, humorously noting that with billions of stars, Earth likely receives only a small fraction of interstellar tourist traffic. The book is recommended for pleasant evening reading.

Reviews of Other Books

Introduction to Theoretical Physics (Third Edition) by Leigh Page

This review, by Seville Chapman of Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, Inc., discusses the third edition of Leigh Page's "Introduction to Theoretical Physics." Chapman notes that the third edition differs little from the second, with minor additions like mks units in problems. However, he expresses regret that the book was not more thoroughly modernized, given the significant revolutions in theoretical physics over the preceding quarter-century. Chapman emphasizes the growing trend towards mathematical generalization and "experimentation in theory" in modern physics. He argues that a single theoretical physics course can no longer adequately serve students in both pure and applied branches, necessitating specialization and generalization. Chapman critiques the book's coverage of advanced classical dynamics (too condensed) and hydrodynamics (too restricted and unrepresentative), and finds the sections on thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and kinetic theory too condensed for real understanding. He also questions the extensive treatment of geometrical optics and the approach to electromagnetic theory, suggesting it is too focused on older, purely mathematical grounds.

Methods of Applied Mathematics by F. B. Hildebrand

This review, by E. L. Hill of the University of Minnesota, highlights the increasing mathematization of applied physics in the current generation. The review itself is brief, only noting the book's title, authors, publication details (Prentice-Hall, Inc., New York, 1952, $7.75), and the striking trend it represents.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The journal, as evidenced by these reviews, appears to focus on theoretical physics and physics education. The reviews critically assess textbooks for their relevance, depth, and pedagogical approach, particularly in light of the rapid advancements and increasing mathematical complexity in physics. The editorial stance seems to encourage modernization of curricula and a recognition of the need for specialization and generalization in physics education to keep pace with the field.

The inclusion of a review on "Flying Saucers" suggests an openness to exploring popular scientific topics, even those bordering on the speculative, provided they are approached with scientific rigor and analysis, as Menzel's book apparently attempts to do.