Late Nineteenth Century Physics

The most important advances in theoretical Physics during the last thirty years have been connected with the consideration of waves in the ether. In 1873 and even before, J. Clerk Maxwell developed his theory that electricity like light is a wave in the ether. The main proof of this theory rested upon the fact that it could be made to account for electrical phenomena and that the speed of light and electricity seemed to be approximately the same. In 1888 Hertz of Germany succeeded in actually detecting waves in electricity by the method described below. The gradually acquired knowledge of their production and control have resulted in the wireless telegraph, the details of which are given under this head.

The discovery of Crookes’ rays and of the X-rays by Rontgen points the way to a knowledge of new forms of radiation.

Related Resources

None available for this document.

Download Options

Title: Late Nineteenth Century Physics

Select an option:

*Note: A download may not start for up to 60 seconds.

Email Options

Title: Late Nineteenth Century Physics

Select an option:

Email addres:

*Note: It may take up to 60 seconds for for the email to be generated.

Chicago: Late Nineteenth Century Physics in The Library of Original Sources, ed. Oliver J. Thatcher (Milwaukee, WI: University Research Extension Co., 1907), Original Sources, accessed March 13, 2026, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=IGB5DFPUYD9I5NZ.

MLA: . Late Nineteenth Century Physics, in The Library of Original Sources, edited by Oliver J. Thatcher, Vol. 10, Milwaukee, WI, University Research Extension Co., 1907, Original Sources. 13 Mar. 2026. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=IGB5DFPUYD9I5NZ.

Harvard: , Late Nineteenth Century Physics. cited in 1907, The Library of Original Sources, ed. , University Research Extension Co., Milwaukee, WI. Original Sources, retrieved 13 March 2026, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=IGB5DFPUYD9I5NZ.