The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Special Theory ◽  
Photoelectric Effect ◽  
History Of Physics ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Instrument Making ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
History Of ◽  
Long Eighteenth Century

This Handbook traces the history of physics, bringing together chapters on major advances in the field from the seventeenth century to the present day. It is organized into four sections, following a broadly chronological structure. Part I explores the place of reason, mathematics, and experiment in the age of what we know as the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. The contributions of Galileo, René Descartes, and Isaac Newton are central to this section, as is the multiplicity of paths to the common goal of understanding. Some of these paths reflected the turn to Thomas Kuhn’s category of ‘Baconian’ sciences — newer, more empirical investigations focused on heat, electricity, magnetism, optics, and chemistry. Part II looks at the ‘long’ eighteenth century — a period that covers developments relating to the physics of imponderable fluids, mechanics, electricity, and magnetism. Part III is broadly concerned with the nineteenth century and covers topics ranging from optics and thermal physics to thermodynamics, electromagnetism and field physics, electrodynamics, the evolution of the instrument-making industry between 1850 and 1930, and the applications of physics in medicine and metrology. Part IV takes us into the age of ‘modern physics’ and considers canonical landmarks such as the discovery of the photoelectric effect in 1887, Max Planck’s work on the quanta of radiation, Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity of 1905, and the elaboration of the various facets of quantum physics between 1900 and 1930.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jed Z. Buchwald ◽  
Robert Fox
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Revolution ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Special Theory ◽  
Photoelectric Effect ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
Modern Physics ◽  
History Of ◽  
Long Eighteenth Century

This Handbook looks at the history of physics since the seventeenth century. It is comprised of four sections, the first of which discusses the place of reason, mathematics, and experiment in the age of the scientific revolution. The first section also covers the contributions of Galileo, René Descartes, and Isaac Newton. The second section deals with the ‘long’ eighteenth century — a period that is often regarded as synonymous with the ‘age of Newton’. The third section encompasses the subcategories of heat, light, electricity, sound, and magnetism, while the fourth and final section takes us into the age of ‘modern physics’, highlighted by landmark achievements such as the discovery of the photoelectric effect in 1887, Max Planck’s work on the quanta of radiation, Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity of 1905, and the elaboration of the various aspects of what became known as quantum physics between 1900 and 1930.

Time: A Very Short Introduction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenann Ismael
Keyword(s):  
History Of Physics ◽  
Philosophical Thinking ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
Experience Of Time ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Nature Of Time ◽  
Everyday Living

Time: A Very Short Introduction explores questions about the nature of time that have been at the heart of philosophical thinking since its beginnings: questions like whether time has a beginning or end, whether and in what sense time passes, how time is different from space, whether time has a direction, and whether it is possible to travel in time. These questions passed into the hands of scientists with the work of Isaac Newton when the structure of space and time became connected to motion and included the subject matter of physics. This VSI charts the way that the history of physics, from Isaac Newton through Albert Einstein’s two revolutions, wrought changes to the conception of time. There are parts of physics that are in a state of confusion, but this strand of development is a story of philosophical illumination and conceptual beauty. The discussion here provides an opportunity to see what distinguishes the methods of physics from those of philosophy. It brings together physics, cognitive science, and phenomenology in the service of reconciling what modern theories tell us about the nature of time with the everyday living experience of time.

The Libraries of Newton, Hooke and Boyle

1966 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-55 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Robert Hooke ◽  
Sir Isaac Newton ◽  
Robert Boyle ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

The demand and search for the scientific literature of the past has grown enormously in the last twenty years. In an age as conscious as ours of the significance of science to mankind, some scientists naturally turned their thoughts to the origins of science as we know it, how scientific theories grew and how discoveries were made. Both institutions and individual scientists partake in these interests and form collections of books necessary for their study. How did their predecessors fare in this respect? They, of course, formed their libraries at a time when books were easy to find—and cheap. But what did they select for their particular reading? For example, what did the libraries of the three greatest scientists of the seventeenth century, Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke and Robert Boyle, look like? Fortunately in the case of Newton, the history of his books is now fairly clear, thanks to the devoted labours of Colonel R . de Villamil (i), but it is a sad reflection on our attitude to our great intellectual leaders that this library o f the greatest English scientist, whose work changed the world for hundreds of years, was not taken care of, was, in fact, forgotten and at times entirely neglected.

scholarly journals An Explicit and Integrated NOS Flow Map in Instruction of Nature of Science based on the History of Science.

2018 ◽  
pp. 646-655
Author(s):  
Jun-Young Oh
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Special Theory ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Flow Map

The aims of this research are, (ⅰ) to consider Kuhn’s concept of how scientific revolution takes place based on individual elements or tenets of Nature of Science (NOS), and (ⅱ) to explore the inter-relationships within the individual elements or tenets of nature of science (NOS), based on the dimensions of scientific knowledge in science learning, this study suggests that instruction according to our Explicit Integrated NOS Map should include the tenets of NOS. The aspects of NOS that have been emphasized in recent science education reform documents disagree with the received views of common science. Additionally, it is valuable to introduce students at the primary level to some of the ideas developed by Kuhn. Key aspects of NOS are, in fact, good applications to the history of science through Kuhn’s philosophy. And it shows that these perspectives of the history of science are well applied to Einstein’s special theory of relativity. Therefore, an Explicit Integrated NOS Flow Map could be a promising means of understanding the NOS tenets and an explicit and reflective tool for science teachers to enhance scientific teaching and learning.

The Lens of Gravity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David D. Nolte
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
General Relativity ◽  
General Theory ◽  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
History Of Physics ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
General Theory Of Relativity ◽  
History Of

This chapter describes how gravity provided the backdrop for one of the most important paradigm shifts in the history of physics. Prior to Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, trajectories were paths described by geometry. After the theory of general relativity, trajectories are paths caused by geometry. This chapter explains how Einstein arrived at his theory of gravity, relying on the space-time geometry of Hermann Minkowski, whose work he had originally harshly criticized. The confirmation of Einstein’s theory was one of the dramatic high points in twentieth-century history of physics when Arthur Eddington journeyed to an island off the coast of Africa to observe stellar deflections during a solar eclipse. If Galileo was the first rock star of physics, then Einstein was the first worldwide rock star of science.

Phase Shift of Electron Waves in A Rotating Frame of Reference

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 212-213
Author(s):  
F. Hasselbach ◽  
M. Nicklaus
Keyword(s):  
Phase Shift ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Special Theory ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Matter Wave ◽  
Cooper Pairs ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Special Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Finite Area ◽  
Rotational Phase

After the first matter wave version of Sagnac’s classical light optical experiment of 1913, performed by Mercereau and Zimmermann with electron Cooper pairs in 1965, and the Sagnac experiment realized with neutrons by Werner et al. in 1979 , we report here on the first observation of the rotational phase shift of electron waves in vacuum.Theory. The Sagnac effect links classical physics, quantum physics and relativity. Using the special theory of relativity it can be derived that coherent waves, e.g. of light, neutrons or electrons, travelling around a finite area A experience a relative phaseshift

G.B. Itelson as a Prototype of Albert Lichtenberg. To the History of Writing the Story of Andrey Platonov’s Garbage Wind

2021 ◽  
pp. 112-122
Author(s):  
Konstantin A. Barsht ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Strong Influence ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
World History ◽  
Special Theory ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Special Theory Of Relativity ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
History Of ◽  
Life Path ◽  
The Universe

The article analyzes the life path and tragic death of the philosopher Grigory Borisovich Itelson (1852–1926) emigrated from Russia. According to the as­sumption put forward in the article, he became the prototype of Albert Lichten­berg, the hero in the story of Andrey Platonov Garbage Wind (1933), which de­scribes the fate of a lonely German scientist, “the physicist of outer space”, who was killed by the Nazis for protesting against fascism. The article analyzes a number of coincidences between the fate of G.B. Itelson and the philosopher Lichtenberg described in the story Garbage Wind, in particular, the way of life and the circumstances of death. The author of the article finds in the text of Platonov’s story some allusions to G.B. Itelson – features of the worldview, pub­lication by the hero of the story of the book The Universe as a desolate space, burned in the square by the fascists, which is seen as a hint of the book by Felix Eberti Stars and World History. Thoughts about space, published by G.B. Itelson in 1923. The author analyzes the reason for Platonov’s appeal to the personality of Itelson, who was a personal friend of A. Einstein and the main translator of his books into Russian. Through these publications in the 1920s, A. Platonov got acquainted with the General and Special Theory of Relativity, which had a strong influence on the writer’s worldview and largely shaped the poetics of his works. The article argues for the possibility of Platonov’s acquaintance with the obitu­ary of G.B. Itelson, written by A.A. Goldenweiser and published in the Berlin Russian newspaper Ruhl, which describes in detail the life and tragic death of the philosopher at the hands of the Nazis

The Enlightenment's Animals

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel Wolloch
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
Economic Thought ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Scottish Enlightenment ◽  
European Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dramatic Shift ◽  
Long Eighteenth Century

In The Enlightenment’s Animals Nathaniel Wolloch takes a broad view of changing conceptions of animals in European culture during the long eighteenth century. Combining discussions of intellectual history, the history of science, the history of historiography, the history of economic thought, and, not least, art history, this book describes how animals were discussed and conceived in different intellectual and artistic contexts underwent a dramatic shift during this period. While in the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century the main focus was on the sensory and cognitive characteristics of animals, during the late Enlightenment a new outlook emerged, emphasizing their conception as economic resources. Focusing particularly on seventeenth-century Dutch culture, and on the Scottish Enlightenment, Wolloch discusses developments in other countries as well, presenting a new look at a topic of increasing importance in modern scholarship.

The Road to Relativity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanoch Gutfreund ◽  
Jürgen Renn ◽  
John Stachel
Keyword(s):  
General Relativity ◽  
History Of Physics ◽  
Theory Of Relativity ◽  
General Theory Of Relativity ◽  
The Road ◽  
Facsimile Edition ◽  
History Of ◽  
Scientific Context ◽  
Theory Of Gravitation ◽  
New Generation

This richly annotated facsimile edition of “The Foundation of General Relativity” introduces a new generation of readers to Albert Einstein's theory of gravitation. Written in 1915, this remarkable document is a watershed in the history of physics and an enduring testament to the elegance and precision of Einstein's thought. Presented here is a beautiful facsimile of Einstein's original handwritten manuscript, along with its English translation and an insightful page-by-page commentary that places the work in historical and scientific context. The concise introduction traces Einstein's intellectual odyssey from the special to the general theory of relativity, and the chapter “The Charm of a Manuscript” provides a delightful meditation on the varied afterlife of Einstein's text. The book also includes a biographical glossary of the figures discussed in the book, a comprehensive bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and numerous photos and illustrations throughout.

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