Shelving Guide: Electrical Engineering
In 1900 the great German theoretical physicist Max Planck formulated a correct mathematical description of blackbody radiation. Today, understanding the behavior of a blackbody is of importance to many fields including thermal and infrared systems engineering, pyrometry, astronomy, meteorology, and illumination. This book gives an account of the development of Planck's equation together with many of the other functions closely related to it. Particular attention is paid to the computational aspects employed in the evaluation of these functions together with the various aids developed to facilitate such calculations.
The book is divided into three sections.
- Section I - Thermal radiation and the blackbody problem are introduced and discussed. Early developments made by experimentalists and theoreticians are examined as they strove to understand the problem of the blackbody.
- Section II - The development of Planck's equation is explained as are the all-important fractional functions of the first and second kinds which result when Planck's equation is integrated between finite limits. A number of theoretical developments are discussed that stem directly from Planck's law, as are the various computational matters that arise when numerical evaluation is required. Basic elements of radiometry that tie together and use many of the theoretical and computational ideas developed is also presented.
- Section III - A comprehensive account of the various computational aids such as tables, nomograms, graphs, and radiation slide rules devised and used by generations of scientists and engineers when working with blackbody radiation are presented as are more recent aids utilizing computers and digital devices for real-time computations.
Scientists and engineers working in fields utilizing blackbody sources will find this book to be a valuable guide in understanding many of the computational aspects and nuances associated with Planck's equation and its other closely related functions. With over 700 references, it provides an excellent research resource.
"This is an excellent history of the mathematical development behind radiation calculators and other computational aids told in terms of detailed mathematical analysis and historical narrative. It is well-written, comprehensive, and includes the most extensive treatment of the radiation slide rule I have seen anywhere."
- Barbara G. Grant, Author of Field Guide to Radiometry, Getting Started with UAV Imaging Systems: A Radiometric Guide and co-author of The Art of Radiometry, Cupertino, California, USA
"The historical and mathematical details presented cannot be found in other books. It is a historic document, an impressive milestone. This book is not only very valuable for someone who wishes to understand the behavior of a blackbody, I recommend it also to those who are familiar with the subject, but want to know it all."
-Max J. Riedl, Author and Lecturer, Germany
"Blackbody radiation is covered in a wide and comprehensive sense, covering historical context, mathematical details, computational means and applications. This is easily the most comprehensive and well-researched compilation on blackbody radiation ever written. The book broadly follows a historical timeline, showing how the best available technology available at the time was used to compute results from Planck's law. The book captures the ingenious beauty of mathematics, the nomogram and the slide rule to compute one of the most important physics laws in engineering."
-CJ (Nelis) Willers, Airbus Optronics South Africa
