[PDF] Physical Sciences And History Of Physics eBook

Author : Robert S. Cohen
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 25,89 MB
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9400971788

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These essays on the conceptual understanding of modern physics strike directly at some of the principal difficulties faced by contemporary philos ophers of physical science. Moreover, they reverberate to earlier and classical struggles with those difficulties. Each of these essays may be seen as both a commentary on our predecessors and an original analytic interpretation. They come from work of the past decade, most from meetings of the Boston Colloquium for the Philosophy of Science, and they demonstrate again how problematic the fundamentals of our understanding of nature still are. The themes will seem to be familiar but the variations are not only ingenious but also stimulating, in some ways counterpoint. And so once again we are confronted with issues of space and time, irreversibility and measurement, matter and process, hypothetical reality and verifiability, explanation and reduction, phenomenal base and sophisticated theory, unified science and the unity of nature, and the limits of conventionalism. We are grateful for the cooperation of our contributors, and in particular for the agreement of George Ellis and C. F. von Weizsiicker to allow us to use previously published papers.

Author : David C. Cassidy
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 18,55 MB
Release : 2013-09-02
Category : History
ISBN : 0674725824

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As the twentieth century ended, computers, the Internet, and nanotechnology were central to modern American life. Yet the physical advances underlying these applications are poorly understood and underappreciated by U.S. citizens. In this overview, Cassidy views physics through America's engagement with the political events of a tumultuous century.

Author : Karoly Simonyi
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 644 pages
File Size : 18,44 MB
Release : 2012-01-25
Category : Mathematics
ISBN : 1439865116

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While the physical sciences are a continuously evolving source of technology and of understanding about our world, they have become so specialized and rely on so much prerequisite knowledge that for many people today the divide between the sciences and the humanities seems even greater than it was when C. P. Snow delivered his famous 1959 lecture,

Author : Russell McCormmach
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 47,25 MB
Release : 2015-03-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 1400870178

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Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences is a continuing series of volumes comprising articles that elucidate the intellectual and social history of the physical sciences from the eighteenth century to the present. The articles offered in Volume 5 share a common theme: a concern with modern physics and its relation to other scientific disciplines and to its cultural and material context. Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author : John A. Cramer
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 36,30 MB
Release : 2001-08-27
Category : Physics
ISBN : 9780595197545

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Why do we think matter is made of atoms and the Earth goes around the Sun? How big is the universe? Did it have a beginning or is it eternal? Is heat a fluid or just the random motion of molecules? Is light made of particles or is it a fluid or maybe something else? This book answers these questions and many more as it traces the development of our modern scientific understanding of the physical world. The historical approach allows us to see not only how the content of the modern physical sciences was formed but also how cultural, philosophical, and religious influences and attitudes have played a major role in that development.

Author : Russell McCormmach
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 526 pages
File Size : 26,46 MB
Release : 2015-03-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 1400870186

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The first article in this volume, by Tetu Hirosige, is a definitive study of the genesis of Einstein's theory of relativity. Other articles treat topics—theoretical, experimental, philosophical, and institutional—in the history of physics and chemistry from the researches of Laplace and Lavoisier in the eighteenth century to those of Dirac and Jordan in the twentieth century. Contents: The Ether Problem, the Mechanistic World View, and the Origins of the Theory of Relativity (Tetu Hirosige); Kinstein's Early Scientific Collaboration (Lewis Pyenson); Max Planck's Philosophy of Nature and His Elaboration of the Special Theory of Relativity (Stanley Goldberg); The Concept of Particle Creation before and after Quantum Mechanics (Joan Brombery); Chemistry as a Branch of Physics: Laplace's Collaboration with Lavoisier (Henry Guerlac); Mayer's Concept of "Force": The "Axis" of a New Science of Physics (P. M. Heimann); Debates over the Theory of Solution: A Study of Dissent in Physical Chemistry in the English-Speaking World in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries (R. G. A. Dolby); The Rise of Physics Laboratories in Britain (Romualdas Sviedrys); The Establishment of the Royal College of Chemistry: An Investigation of the Social Context of Early-Victorian Chemistry (Gerrylynn K. Roberts) Originally published in 1976. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author : David Kaiser
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 549 pages
File Size : 13,63 MB
Release : 2011-06-27
Category : Science
ISBN : 039308230X

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"How the Hippies Saved Physics gives us an unconventional view of some unconventional people engaged early in the fundamentals of quantum theory. Great fun to read." —Anton Zeilinger, Nobel laureate in physics The surprising story of eccentric young scientists—among them Nobel laureates John Clauser and Alain Aspect—who stood up to convention and changed the face of modern physics. Today, quantum information theory is among the most exciting scientific frontiers, attracting billions of dollars in funding and thousands of talented researchers. But as MIT physicist and historian David Kaiser reveals, this cutting-edge field has a surprisingly psychedelic past. How the Hippies Saved Physics introduces us to a band of freewheeling physicists who defied the imperative to “shut up and calculate” and helped to rejuvenate modern physics. For physicists, the 1970s were a time of stagnation. Jobs became scarce, and conformity was encouraged, sometimes stifling exploration of the mysteries of the physical world. Dissatisfied, underemployed, and eternally curious, an eccentric group of physicists in Berkeley, California, banded together to throw off the constraints of the physics mainstream and explore the wilder side of science. Dubbing themselves the “Fundamental Fysiks Group,” they pursued an audacious, speculative approach to physics. They studied quantum entanglement and Bell’s Theorem through the lens of Eastern mysticism and psychic mind-reading, discussing the latest research while lounging in hot tubs. Some even dabbled with LSD to enhance their creativity. Unlikely as it may seem, these iconoclasts spun modern physics in a new direction, forcing mainstream physicists to pay attention to the strange but exciting underpinnings of quantum theory. A lively, entertaining story that illuminates the relationship between creativity and scientific progress, How the Hippies Saved Physics takes us to a time when only the unlikeliest heroes could break the science world out of its rut.

Author : Harry Varvoglis
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 48,87 MB
Release : 2014-01-29
Category : Science
ISBN : 3319042920

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Our understanding of nature, and in particular of physics and the laws governing it, has changed radically since the days of the ancient Greek natural philosophers. This book explains how and why these changes occurred, through landmark experiments as well as theories that - for their time - were revolutionary. The presentation covers Mechanics, Optics, Electromagnetism, Thermodynamics, Relativity Theory, Atomic Physics and Quantum Physics. The book places emphasis on ideas and on a qualitative presentation, rather than on mathematics and equations. Thus, although primarily addressed to those who are studying or have studied science, it can also be read by non-specialists. The author concludes with a discussion of the evolution and organization of universities, from ancient times until today, and of the organization and dissemination of knowledge through scientific publications and conferences.