Theory of Electric Polarisation [antikvár]

-«soKuau^ PREFACE In writing this book the author has tried to reach several groups of readers: theoreticians, who want a general survey of the theory of electric polarisation, experimental workers who want to know the links between their work and its theoretical background, and .advanced students who want to be introduced to the subject. Furthermore his intention has been to serve both chemists and physicists. In attempting to reach this manifold aim, emphasis has been laid upon the connection between theory and experiment, and much attention has been paid to the fundamental concepts and to an adequate didactic presentation of the subject. Accordingly the discussion is mainly restricted to the "classical" theory. There was a further reason for this choice: in the opinion of the author there is a need for an adequate survey of the classical theory of dielectrics, while the application of quantum mechanics and of statistical mechanics to this field have been treated extensively in the books of J. H. V,A3sr Vleck {Theory of electric and magnetic susceptibilities, Oxford 1932) and H. Fröhlich {Theory of dielectrics, Oxford 1949), respectively. Tihese applications are in an initial stage, while the classical theory has already reached a more definite form. The fundamentals of electrostatics and of vector calculus, as presented in elementary text books, are assumed to be known to the reader. (See, for instance, C. A. Ooulson, Electricity, Edinburgh, London, New York 1948, and D. E. Rutherford, Vector Methods, 6th Ed., Edinburgh, London, New York 1949.) Four appendices on mathematical subjects are added. The symbols, units and nomenclature are in conformity with the reeommendations of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. With apologies to the electrotechnicians the symbol is used to indicate complex quantities. Vectors