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General Information
Description of Collection Biographical Note Scope and Contents of Collection Restrictions on Use and Access Selected Search Terms Organization and Arrangement of Collection Provenance and Acquisition Information Processing Information Preferred Citation of Collection Administrative InformationContainer List
Series I: Letters Series II: Notes Series III: Notebooks Series IV: Additional notes Series V: Miscellaneous itemsOliver Heaviside selected papers, 1874-1922, undated
Description of Collection
Repository
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives.
Papers created by
Heaviside, Oliver, 1850-1925
Size of collection
9 microfilm reels
Short description of collection
Notebooks, notes and correspondence of physicist and engineer, Oliver Heaviside.
Language(s) of collection
English
Collection number:
MI33
Biographical Note
Physicist (mathematical physics and electrical engineering). Telegraph operator, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, 1870-1874; self-employed as physicist and electrical engineer from 1874.
Scope and Contents of Collection
Notebooks, notes and correspondence of physicist and engineer, Oliver Heaviside. The notebooks and notes (1874-1904) reflect the variety of Heaviside's interests, with topics including mathematics (series expansions and calculus), mechanics (wave propagation), and electromagnetism (electromagnetic theory). Included with the notebooks are corrected galley proofs of articles on electromagnetism and theory, and the preface to the collected edition of Heaviside's Electrical Papers. Professional correspondence (1897-1922) between Heaviside and his editors concerning publication, and with his colleagues on mathematical and electromagnetic topics. Correspondents include William E. Ayrton, Edwin H. Barton, William H. Bragg, Lord Kelvin (William Thomson), George F.C. Searle, John J. Thompson, and Silvanus P. Thompson.
Restrictions on Use and Access
Researchers must have an approved access application on file in order to access archival materials. https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/item-request.
Selected Search Terms
These papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.
Persons
Ayrton, W. E. (William Edward), 1847-1908.
Bragg, William Henry, 1862-1942
Kelvin, William Thomson, Baron, 1824-1907
Searle, G. F. C. (George Frederick Charles), b. 1864.
Thompson, Silvanus Phillips, 1851-1916.
Thomson, J. J. (Joseph John), Sir, 1856-1940
barton, Edwin H.
Subject terms
Electromagnetic theory.
Electromagnetism.
Fluid mechanics.
Mathematics.
Genre terms
Organization and Arrangement of Collection
This collection is organized into five series:
- Series I: Letters
- Series II: Notes
- Series III: Notebooks
- Series IV: Additional notes
- Series V: Miscellaneous items
Provenance and Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. Jean K. Gossick, widow of Ben R. Gossick of the University of Kentucky, who acquired the films from the IEE for use in his historical research on Heaviside, 1978.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Melanie J. Mueller in 2013.
Preferred Citation of Collection
Box [number], Folder [number], Oliver Heaviside selected papers, 1874-1922, undated. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
Administrative Information
Title
Finding Aid to the Oliver Heaviside selected papers, 1874-1922, undated
Publisher
American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library & Archives
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
USA
nbl@aip.org
2013
Encoding Information
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Melanie J. Mueller in 2013. Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process.
Series I: Letters
| Reel 1: Letters, A-R, circa 1897-1922 |
| Reel 2: Letters, S-Z, 1888-1919 |
| Reel 2: Notebook, volume 18 (for other notebook volumes see reels 4-7), undated |
Series II: Notes
| Reel 3A (1-178): Loose pages of mathematical calculations, 1890-1893 |
| Reel 3B (1-194): Calculations and notes on the reverse of page proofs of Electromagnetic Theory, volume 1, pages 73-459, undated |
| Reel 3C (1-69): Notes on the reverse of old invoices from Charles Heaviside's (brother) music firm, 1892-1893 |
| Reel 3D (1-48): Random calculations of various dates from a box found at the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE), London, England, in October 1973, various dates |
Series III: Notebooks
Notebooks cover a variety of topics. Most entries have subject headings but are rarely dated.
| Reel 4, 1A: Notebook, 1881-1912 |
| Reel 4, 2A: Notebook, 1883-1886 |
| Reel 4, 3A: Annotated bibliography of Oliver Heaviside's papers, undated |
| Reel 5: Volumes 1-5, 1874-circa 1880 |
| Reel 6: Volumes 6-11, 1885-1887 |
| Reel 7: Volume 12, circa 1884-July 1889 |
| Reel 7: Volume 13, circa 1880-1904 |
| Reel 7: Volume 14, circa 1890s |
| Reel 7: Volume 15, 1895-undated |
| Reel 7: Volume 16, 1902-undated |
| Reel 7: Volume 17 (for notebook volume 18 see reel #2), circa 1902-1903 |
Series IV: Additional notes
There are 150 blank frames between Reel 8 number 1 and Reel 8 number 2.
| Reel 8, number 1: Heaviside "alleged" volume 4, undated |
| Reel 8, number 2: Nature, volume 92, November 1913 |
| Reel 8, number 3: Recently restored random notes, including some correspondence, circa 1886-1913 |
| Reel 8, number 4: Volume 18, circa 1870 |
Series V: Miscellaneous items
| Reel 9: Heaviside manuscripts found at Paignton, England (1957): Annotated galley proofs, drafts of articles, some correspondence (circa 1890s), spare proofs, preface to Electrical Papers Volume 1, random notes and calculations, various dates |