Foundations of Potential Theory

FOUNDATIONS OF POTENTIAL THEORY by OLIVER DIMON KELLOGG. Originally published in 1929. Preface: The present volume gives a systematic treatment of potential functions. It takes its origin in two courses, one elementary and one advanced, which the author has given at intervals during the last ten years, and has a two-fold purpose first, to serve as an introduction for students whose attainments in the Calculus include some knowledge of partial derivatives and multiple and line integrals and secondly, to provide the reader with the fundamentals of the subject, so that he may proceed immediately to the applications, or to - the periodical literature of the day. It is inherent in the nature of the subject that physical intuition and illustration be appealed to freely, and this has been done. However, in order that the ok may present sound ideals to the student, and also serve the ma pmatician, both for purposes of reference and as a basis for further developments, the proofs have been given by rigorous methods. This has led, at a number of points, to results either not found elsewhere, or not readily accessible. Thus, Chapter IV contains a proof for the general regular region of the divergence theorem Gauss, or Greens theorem on the reduction of volume to surface integrals. The treatment of the fundamental existence theorems in Chapter XI by means of integral equations meets squarely the difficulties incident to the discontinuity of the kernel, and the same chapter gives an account of the most recent developments with respect to the Pirichlet problem. Exercises are introduced in the conviction that no mastery of a mathematical subject is possible without working with it. They are designed primarily to illustrate or extend the theory, although the desirability of requiring an occasional concrete numerical result has not been lost sight of. O. D. Kellogg. August, 1929. Contents include: Chapter 1. The Force of Gravity. 1. The Subject Matter of Potential Theory 1 2. Newtons Law 2 3. Interpretation of Newtons Law for Continuously Distributed Bodies . 3 4. Forces Due to Special Bodies 4 5. Material Curves, or Wires 8 6 Material Surfaces or Lammas 10 7. Curved Lammas 12 8. Ordinary Bodies, or Volume Distributions 15 9 The Force at Points of the Attracting Masses 17 10. Legitimacy of the Amplified Statement of Newtons Law Attraction between Bodies 22 11. Presence of the Couple Centrobaric Bodies Specific Force 26 Chapter II. Fields of Force. 1. Fields of Force and Other Vector Fields 28 2. Lines of Force 28 3. Velocity Fields 31 4. Expansion, or Divergence of a Field 34 5. The Divergence Theorem 37 6. Flux of Force Solenoidal Fields 40 7. Gauss Integral 42 8. Sources and Sinks 44 9. General Flows of Fluids Equation of Continuity 45 Chapter III The Potential. 1. Work and Potential Energy 48 2 Equipotential Surfaces 54 3. Potentials of Special Distributions 55 4. The Potential of a Homogeneous Circumference 58 5. Two Dimensional Problems The Logarithmic Potential 62 6. Magnetic Particles 65 7. Magnetic Shells, or Double Distributions 66 8. Irrotational Flow 69 . Stokes Theorem 72 10. Flow of Heat 76 11. The Energy of Distributions 79 12...