General aspects of the use of the pair-potential description of atomic interactions were considered. Particular stress was placed on an important difference between those potentials that fully determined the total energy of a system, and those that only described changes which were associated with structural variations. A review was presented of the pair potentials that were used in atomistic studies of defects in metallic materials, and their usefulness was assessed.

V.Vitek: Materials Research Society Bulletin, 1966, 21[5], 20-3