Archive of historical materials
1st draft: Elementary Calculations on the Slowing Down of …
OU1936-B4 (29 pages) Date: None
This is the first draft of the paper, “Elementary Calculations on the Slowing Down of Neutrons by Thin Plate” (Proc. Phys.-Math. Soc. Japan 18, 507-518 (1936)), posted in the journal published by the Physical and Mathematical Society of Japan. Yukawa made corrections and additions by hand repeatedly so many sections are legible only to Yukawa. The paper was submitted to the Physical and Mathematical Society of Japan. The final proof of the manuscript is shown in OU1936-B1. It is interesting to compare the two versions. Yukawa wrote a lecture manuscript (OU1936-B6) before this manuscript.
The contents of this paper were announced in the Meeting of the Physical and Mathematical Society of Japan held on July 4, 1936, and this draft was written immediately after the meeting. Yukawa finished writing the paper in about two weeks and submitted it. Yukawa changed the title several times. He rewrote the opening sentence several times, too. In the middle of the paper, Yukawa reworked the calculations using the back side of the sheet and rechecked the result. This is an invaluable historical material that shows Yukawa’s extraordinary dedication to the writing of papers. (Written by Yutaka Hosotani)
