William Hopkins and the shaping of Dynamical Geology: 1830–1860

1989 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crosbie Smith
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
New Era ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
A Charge

‘Hitherto want of accuracy and definiteness have often been brought as a charge against geology, and sometimes only with too much justice’, wrote Archibald Geikie in a review of Sir Roderick Murchison's Siluria (1867). ‘We seem now to be entering, however, upon a new era, when there will be infused into geological methods and speculation, some of the precision of the exact sciences’. Geikie's judgement echoed an appeal made some thirty years earlier by William Hopkins (1793–1866) that the science of geology needed to be ‘elevated’ from a level of ‘indeterminate generalities’ to a rank among the stricter physical sciences. This paper aims to analyse, in the context of broader trends favouring measurement and mathematics in British scientific practice, Hopkins' role in the promotion of dynamical geology as a major new complement to stratigraphical geology such that, for example, in the first edition of Geikie's Textbook of Geology (1882) the dynamical and stratigraphical components each filled 376 pages.

Semantic Realism

1998 ◽  
pp. 6-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Landry
Keyword(s):  
Category Theory ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
Philosophical Study ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Ontological Realism ◽  
Semantic Realism ◽  
And Mathematics

I argue that if we distinguish between ontological realism and semantic realism, then we no longer have to choose between platonism and formalism. If we take category theory as the language of mathematics, then a linguistic analysis of the content and structure of what we say in and about mathematical theories allows us to justify the inclusion of mathematical concepts and theories as legitimate objects of philosophical study. Insofar as this analysis relies on a distinction between ontological and semantic realism, it relies also on an implicit distinction between mathematics as a descriptive science and mathematics as a descriptive discourse. It is this latter distinction which gives rise to the tension between the mathematician qua philosopher. In conclusion, I argue that the tensions between formalism and platonism, indeed between mathematician and philosopher, arise because of an assumption that there is an analogy between mathematical talk and talk in the physical sciences.

The Retention of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: A Framework for Persistence

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffry L. White ◽  
G.H. Massiha
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Minority Women ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Many

<p>Women make up 47% of the total U.S. workforce, but are less represented in engineering, computer sciences, and the physical sciences. In addition, race and ethnicity are salient factors and minority women comprise fewer than 1 in 10 scientist or engineer. In this paper, a review of the literature is under taken that explores the many challenges women encounter when pursing a career in the sciences. It includes a review of the national landscape and discussion of the guiding general retention theories. Finally it proposes a conceptual framework for persistence and proffers a number of research questions designed to delve deeper into the under representation phenomenon.</p>

scholarly journals Scientific Performance and Mapping of the Term STEM in Education on the Web of Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco-Javier Hinojo-Lucena ◽  
Pablo Dúo-Terrón ◽  
Magdalena Ramos Navas-Parejo ◽  
Carmen Rodríguez-Jiménez ◽  
Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Scientific Performance ◽  
New Era ◽  
Word Analysis ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Women And Science ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Educational Field

Technological progress is causing terms such as “STEM”, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, to burst into the educational arena, marking a new era in the application of innovative and motivating teaching and learning processes. The objective of this research is to analyze the trajectory and the transcendence of the “STEM” concept in the educational field, having as reference the reported literature of Web of Science. The methodology applied in this research is based on bibliometrics, analyzing both the performance and the structural and dynamic development of the concept through a co-word analysis. The total number of documents analyzed is 4390. The results show that the scientific community mainly uses English and research papers to present their results. From 2015 onwards, the main lines of research are beginning to be established, which focus on “women” and “science”. It can be concluded that the term “STEM” in education is beginning to have a greater incidence and impact on the processes of teaching and learning, especially in the field of science, although there are currently discrepancies between men and women in its use.

Factors Determining Attitudes Toward Arithmetic and Mathematics

1956 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-116
Author(s):  
Thomas Poffenberger ◽  
Donald A. Norton
Keyword(s):  
Physical Sciences ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Military ◽  
Military Services

In recent months, many scientists, educators and statesmen have referred to the alarming shortage of graduates in engineering, the physical sciences and mathematics. The shortage of persons trained in these fields is being felt in industry, the government and the military services and it is critical in education.

scholarly journals Technology for Location, Analysis and Interpretation of Magnetic Alterations as Precursors of Seismic Phenomena Update

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Raymond Rosa Ávila
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Location ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
Electromagnetic Signal ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Electromagnetic Noise ◽  
Mathematical Algorithm ◽  
Geomagnetic Cutoff ◽  
Variation Rate ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The University

To date, several studies have shown that the Earth's magnetic field suffers alterations at the local geographical location before an earthquake occur. Its study demonstrates that the Earth’s magnetic alterations at specific local geographical zone, is a local seismic precursor alerting a proximity of an earthquake with a margin of error of approximately 10%. The electromagnetic noise from background is very confusing, but that reason was necessary to identify these electromagnetic signal precursors by filtering a large amount of noise. To isolate the electromagnetic noise, was implemented a Magnetic North deflection detection in Smart Phones Magnetometers. Using it technology, was developed a mathematical algorithm that work in combination with the Smart Phones magnetometers. This research was based using in reference the study carried out by the Department of Physics of the Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics (FCFM) of the University of Chile directed by Cordado, 2018[1], in the paper called “Latitudinal variation rate of geomagnetic cutoff rigidity in the active Chilean convergent margin”.

Applying Mathematics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otávio Bueno ◽  
Steven French
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Explanatory Role ◽  
Mathematical Structures ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
History Of Quantum Physics ◽  
Available Information

What has been called ‘the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics’ sets a challenge for philosophers. Some have responded to that challenge by arguing that mathematics is essentially anthropocentric in character whereas others have pointed to the range of structures that mathematics offers. Here a middle way is offered that focuses on the moves that have to be made in both the mathematics and the relevant physics in order to bring the two into appropriate relation. This relation can be captured via the inferential conception of the applicability of mathematics which is formulated in terms of immersion inference and interpretation. In particular the roles of idealizations and of surplus structure in science and mathematics respectively are brought to the fore and captured via an approach to models and theories that emphasizes the partiality of the available information: the partial structures approach. The discussion as a whole is grounded in a number of case studies drawn from the history of quantum physics and extended to contest recent claims that the explanatory role of certain mathematical structures in scientific practice supports a realist attitude towards them. The overall conclusion is that the effectiveness of mathematics does not seem unreasonable at all once close attention is paid to how it is actually applied in practice.

Biophysical Techniques in Structural Biology

2019 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Structural Biology ◽  
Weak Interactions ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
New Era ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
New Information

Over the past six decades, steadily increasing progress in the application of the principles and techniques of the physical sciences to the study of biological systems has led to remarkable insights into the molecular basis of life. Of particular significance has been the way in which the determination of the structures and dynamical properties of proteins and nucleic acids has so often led directly to a profound understanding of the nature and mechanism of their functional roles. The increasing number and power of experimental and theoretical techniques that can be applied successfully to living systems is now ushering in a new era of structural biology that is leading to fundamentally new information about the maintenance of health, the origins of disease, and the development of effective strategies for therapeutic intervention. This article provides a brief overview of some of the most powerful biophysical methods in use today, along with references that provide more detailed information about recent applications of each of them. In addition, this article acts as an introduction to four authoritative reviews in this volume. The first shows the ways that a multiplicity of biophysical methods can be combined with computational techniques to define the architectures of complex biological systems, such as those involving weak interactions within ensembles of molecular components. The second illustrates one aspect of this general approach by describing how recent advances in mass spectrometry, particularly in combination with other techniques, can generate fundamentally new insights into the properties of membrane proteins and their functional interactions with lipid molecules. The third reviewdemonstrates the increasing power of rapidly evolving diffraction techniques, employing the very short bursts of X-rays of extremely high intensity that are now accessible as a result of the construction of free-electron lasers, in particular to carry out time-resolved studies of biochemical reactions. The fourth describes in detail the application of such approaches to probe the mechanism of the light-induced changes associated with bacteriorhodopsin's ability to convert light energy into chemical energy.

TRUE SCIENCE

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 838-838
Author(s):  
G. J. V. Nossal
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Basic Sciences ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Conventional View ◽  
Intellectual Achievement ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
True Basic ◽  
Work Up ◽  
Mathematics And Physics ◽  
True Science

. . . Medicine . . . is a great science, for all its failings. I reject completely the conventional view which says that mathematics and physics are the true, basic sciences; that other sciences enjoy merit and intellectual vigour only to the extent that they rest on mathematics and physics. It is true that one can work "down" from medicine through pathology to genetics and cell biology, to biochemistry, to chemistry, and thence to physics and mathematics. Equally one can work "up" from biology and medicine to demography, sociology, economics, and political science. But these hierarchies represent descriptive conveniences and conventions, classifications of components in terms of size. They cannot be listings of value or of intellectual achievement. Biologists and doctors have nothing to be ashamed of in front of their colleagues in the physical sciences.

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