This volume is a,reference source for the fundamental formulae of physics and astrophysics. In contrast to most of the usual compendia the author explains carefully the physical assumptions entering the formulae. The compendium covers all the important results of physical theories like Electrodynamics, Hydrodynamics, General Relativity, Atomic and Nuclear Physics et al. qualifying it for a standard reference in physics. Over 2,100 formulae are included, and the original papers for the formulae are referenced together with papers on modern applications in a bibliography of over 1,900 entries. Included in the 69 tables are positions and basic physical data on astronomical objects such as planets, the sun, planetary nebulae, ionized (HII) regions, magnetic stars, white dwarfs, galactic clusters, globular clusters, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, pulsars, radio galaxies, and quasi-stellar objects. Also included are supplementary data such as Gaunt factors, interstellar molecular lines, intense solar emission and absorption lines, transition probabilities and collision strengths for forbidden transitions, the mass excess and solar system abundance of the elements, reaction rate constants, properties of stars, etc. The46figures include: thefrequency spectra of black-body,synchrotron, free-free, free-bound, and Cerenkov radiation; line intensity ratios as a function of electron density and electron temperature; Grotrian diagrams for the abundant elements, neutrino emission regimes; element abundances synthesized in a "big bang"; the energy spectra of cosmic ray electrons, X-rays and ;.- rays; the redshift-magnitude relation; galactic rotation curves; luminosity functions of stars, galaxies, quasars, and radio galaxies; scale factors for the universe, and the spectrum of the isotropic background radiation. Kenneth R. Lang was born 1941 in Schenectady, New York, and from 1964 to 1968 he studied at Stanford University, Stanford, California, where he received his doctorate in radio astronomy. From 1969 to 1972 he was a research associate with Cornell University and an astronomer at the Arecibo Observatory. During the summer months of 1971 and 1972 he was a visiting fellow of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, in Cambridge, England. During 1972—1973 and 1973—1974, respectively, the author was a research fellow in astrophysics and physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. The author is presently Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He is also a member of the International Astronomical Union and the United States National Committee of the Union Radio Scientifique International.
