Issues

From the days of Newton and Hooke scientists from many fields have contributed to the study of the deformation of materials. But a lack of communication hindered developments until rheology emerged as a formal branch of mechanics.

The search for gravitational radiation is snowballing with innovations in technique and technology. To measure radiation one can now use masses small enough to fit in a laboratory or large enough to be the earth or moon.

Ever‐expanding horizons of physics have brought about radical increases in the amount of information. A system is being developed whereby this information can be quickly processed and made readily accessible.

Where does the boundary between physics and chemistry lie? The development of molecular‐structure models shows how ideas have passed freely between the two disciplines, with electromagnetic spectroscopy acting as the background continuum.

After the Second World War great commercial interest in transistors and the availability of digital computers sparked a rise in experimental and theoretical studies of solids. Our knowledge of energy bands, Fermi surfaces and magnetic properties of crystals have all profited.