Manual of mathematical physics

Nuclear Phys, cs 15 (1960) 6 9 5 - - 697, ( ~ North-Holland Publ~shtng Co., .4 msterdam

BOOK R E V I E W S I V,r CLEGG a n d D D FOLEY, editors, Uramum Ore Processtng [The G e n e v a P r e s e n t a t i o n V o l u m e s , p r e s e n t e d b y t h e U S A a t t h e Second I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference o n t h e P e a c e f u l U s e s of A t o m i c E n e r g y , G e n e v a , S e p t e m b e r 1958] ( A d d i s o n - W e s l e y P u b h s i n n g Co 436 p $ 8 50) T i n s b o o k is t h e r e s u l t of t h e c o l l a b o r a t i o n of 32 a u t h o r s a n d in o n e v o l u m e it c o v e r s t h e entire field of u r a n i u m w m m n g , s t a r t i n g w i t h t h e m i n e r a l s m t h e g r o u n d a n d following t h e m a t e r i a l t h r o u g h all s t a g e s u n t i l a c o n c e n t r a t e h a s b e e n o b t a i n e d T h e first four c h a p t e r s (1) U r a n i u m O c c u r r e n c e a n d Sources, (2) U r a n i u m E x p l o r a t i o n a n d Mining, (3) S a m p l i n g a n d A n a l y s i s of Ores, (4) M i n e r a l o g y of U r a n i u m , do n o t i m p a r t m u c h to t h e professional m a n a n d t h e y a r e n o t easily r e a d b y o t h e r s To m a k e u p for it t h e n e x t six c h a p t e r s (5) P r e l i m i n a r y Ore T r e a t m e n t , (6) Acid L e a c i n n g of U r a n i u m Ores, (7) C a r b o n a t e L e a c h i n g of U r a n i u m Ores, (8) L l q u i d - S o l l d s S e p a r a t i o n s , (9) U r a n i u m R e c o v e r y b y I o n E x c h a n g e , (10) U r a n i u m R e c o v e r y b y S o l v e n t E x t r a c t i o n , a r e s u b s t a n t l a l a n d i l l u s t r a t e d w i t h e x c e l l e n t g r a p h s a n d f l o w s h e e t s E s p e c i a l l y t h e c h a p t e r o n ion e x c h a n g e calls a t t e n t i o n b y its lucid a n d t h o r o u g h a c c o u n t C h a p t e r 11 d e s c r i b e s s i x t y p i c a l p l a n t s C h a p t e r 12 deals w i t h m a r g i n a l s o u r c e s s u c h as p h o s p h a te rock a n d h g m t e s h a l e C h a p t e r 13 f i n a l l y covers h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y in m m m g a n d m f l h n g . T h e s t y l e a p p e a r s s o m e w h a t m h o m o g e n e o u s , p r o b a b l y o w i n g to t h e n u m b e r of a u t h o r s Also it s e e m s t h a t n o t all of t h e topics a r e s u i t a b l e for t h e c o n d e n s e d f o r m N e v e r t h e l e s s t h e large am o u n t of r e f o r m a t i o n c o m p i l e d h e r e m a k e s t h e v o l u m e a v a l u a b l e reference source for w o r k e r s m t h e field Emil Sorensen PAUL I RICHARDS, Manual o/ mathemat, cal physzcs ( P e r g a m o n Press, L o n d o n , 1959 x l - - 4 8 0 p a g e s £5 10s. net) A t first sight, t h i s v o l u m e looks j u s t like a c o m p i l a t i o n of t h e m a i n f a c t s a n d f o r m u l a e w i n c h f o r m t h e a r s e n a l of t h e t h e o r e t i c a l p h y s i c i s t ; a n d it m i n d e e d s u c h a c o m p d a t i o n B u t o n closer i n s p e c t i o n it is soon a p p a r e n t t h a t it is also s o m e t h i n g m o r e a n d b e t t e r , t h e a u t h o r h a s g i v e n Ins t a s k a g r e a t deal of s e a r c h i n g t h o u g h t , a n d Ins a m b i t i o n h a s b e e n to p r e s e n t Ins m a t e r i a l m s u c h a w a y t h a t t h e c o n c e p t u a l f r a m e w o r k of t h e g r e a t d o c t r i n e s of t h e o r e t i c a l p h y s i c s c a n be easily g r a s p e d m its full h a r m o n y T h e r e s u l t of t i n s e n d e a v o u r m a s u r p r i s i n g l y c o m p l e t e s u r v e y of t h e v a s t field, w h i c h is:not o n l y of g r e a t p r a c t i c a l utility, b u t also a e s t h e t i c a l l y s a t i s f y i n g to a r e m a r k able degree T h e a u t h o r h a s b e e n guided, m o r e c o n s c i o u s l y t h a n m u s u a l n o w a d a y s , b y p i n l o s o p i n cal criteria, w h i c h a r e explicitly f o r m u l a t e d , w i t h s t u d i e d concmion, a t t h e a p p r o p r i a t e places, b u t w h i c h are also reflected, t h r o u g h o u t t h e book, b y t h e selection of t h e topics, t h e r e l a t i v e e m p h a s i s p u t on e a c h of t h e m a n d t h e m e t h o d of p r e s e n t a t i o n T h e a u t h o r ' s a t t i t u d e in all t h e s e respects, while n o t s t r i k i n g l y original, is a t a n y r a t e p e r f e c t l y s o u n d I n p a r t i c u l a r , while s t u d i o u s of logical r i g o u r a n d f o r m a l elegance, h e is i m m u n e to t h e p e s t of a x l o m a t l c s T h e scope of t h e b o o k is l i m i t e d to " e s t a b l i s h e d " t h e o r e t i c a l physics, w i n c h c o v e r s t h e w h o l e of classical p h y s i c s a n d q u a n t u m m e c h a n i c s i n c l u d i n g t h e relatlvmtlc t r e a t m e n t of t h e free f e r m i o n a n d e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c fields B e s i d e s g i v i n g t h e f u n d a m e n t a l s , t h e t r e a t m e n t l e a d s u p to t h e p r i n c i p a l applications, selected f r o m a v e r y m o d e r n p o i n t of w e w (e g a b o u t 20 pages, o u t of 250, are d e v o t e d to c t r c m t t h e o r y a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n t h e o r y ) . T h e s e c o n d h a l f of t h e b o o k c o n t a i n s a b r i l l i a n t s u r v e y of t h e w h o l e field of m a t h e m a t i c s u n d e r s o m e 15 h e a d i n g s (one of which, for i n s t a n c e , is p r o b a b i l i t y a n d g a m e t h e o r y ) A p a r t f r o m its o b v i o u s u s e f u l n e s s as a v a d e - m e c u m for t r a i n e d p h y s l c m t s , thin book m a y r e n d e r a p r e c i o u s service to s t u d e n t s , b y h e l p i n g t h e m to a c q u i r e a s y n t h e t i c view of t h e i n t e r - r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e v a r i o u s b r a n c h e s of physics, w h i c h are u s u a l l y t a u g h t to t h e m m s e p a r a t e , a n d o f t e n disconnected, courses L R 895