DOCSLIB.ORG

A Cultural History of Physics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Cultural History of Physics Károly Simonyi A Cultural History of Physics Translated by David Kramer Originally published in Hungarian as A fizika kultûrtörténete, Fourth Edition, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1998, and published in German as Kulturgeschichte der Physik, Third Edition, Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main, 2001. First Hungarian edition 1978. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Version Date: 20111110 International Standard Book Number: 978-1-56881-329-5 (Hardback) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowl- edged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Simonyi, Károly. [Fizika kultúrtörténete. English] A cultural history of physics / Károly Simonyi ; translated by David Kramer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-56881-329-5 (alk. paper) 1. Physics--History. I. Title. QC7.S55313 2010 530.09--dc22 2010009407 Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com Contents Foreword by Charles Simonyi xi Preface xiii Introduction: The History of Physics and Its Relevance to Our Lives Today 0.1 The istoryH of Physics and Its Relevance to Our Lives Today 1 0.2 Assessment and Division into Epochs 3 0.2.1 A Historical Timeline Based on the Intensity of Scientific Activity 3 0.2.2 ­Scientific Knowledge from the Viewpoint of the Physicist of Today 4 0.2.3 Division into Epochs Based on Theoretical Synthesis 7 0.2.4 The oleR of Modeling 8 0.3 Elements of the Philosophy of Science 10 0.3.1 Illusory Simplicity 10 0.3.2 Reason and Experience 12 0.3.3 Pitfalls of the Inductive Method 14 0.4 The Dynamism of istoryH 15 0.4.1 Forces for Progress 15 0.4.2 Limits, Possibilities, and Dangers 19 0.4.3 Uncertainty in the Precision 21 0.4.4 Physics in a New Role 23 0.4.5 Characterization of Epochs in Physics 24 Chapter 1: The Classical Heritage 1.1 The reekG Inheritance 31 1.1.1 The eginningsB of Science 31 1.1.2 Egypt and Mesopotamia 32 1.2 The armonious,H Beautiful Order 45 1.2.1 Overview: Temporal, Spatial, and Causal Connections 45 1.2.2 Mysticism and Mathematics: Pythagoras 50 1.2.3 Idea and Reality 54 1.2.4 Plato on Insight and Ideas 57 1.3 Matter and Motion: The Aristotelian Synthesis 60 1.3.1 Atoms and Elements 60 1.3.2 Motion under Terrestrial Conditions: Peripatetic Dynamics 65 1.3.3 Celestial Motion 72 1.3.4 The Aristotelian Worldview 74 1.3.5 A Selection from Aristotle’s Metaphysics 76 1.4 The reatestG Achievements of the Ancient Sciences 78 1.4.1 Archimedes 79 1.4.2 The tolemaicP System for Describing Celestial Motion 89 1.4.3 Measuring the Cosmos: Geography 90 1.4.4 Geometry 95 1.4.5 Scientific nstrumentsI and Technology 98 v 1.5 The Twilight of Hellenism 99 1.5.1 Pessimistic Philosophers 99 1.5.2 Augustine on the Absurdity of Astrology 104 1.5.3 Augustine on Time 105 Chapter 2: The Stewards of the Heritage 2.1 The Thousand-Year Balance Sheet 113 2.1.1 Why Did Progress Stall? 113 2.1.2 Europe Takes Shape 115 2.1.3 The Technological Revolution 121 2.1.4 Monasteries and Universities 123 2.2 The Salvage of Ancient Knowledge 129 2.2.1 The Direct Path 129 2.2.2 Byzantium 131 2.2.3 The Arab Transmission 132 2.2.4 Return to the Source 133 2.3 The Indian and Arab Worlds 136 2.3.1 The Decimal System 136 2.3.2 Algebra and Algorithm 137 2.3.3 Some Outstanding Contributions of Arab Science 138 2.4 The West Awakens 140 2.4.1 Fibonacci: The Artist of Computation 140 2.4.2 Jordanus Nemorarius: Structural Engineer 142 2.4.3 Descriptive Kinematics: Nicole Oresme and Merton College 143 2.4.4 Peripatetic Dynamics Reformed 145 2.4.5 Buridan’s Theory of Impetus 146 2.4.6 Physics in Astronomy 147 2.4.7 Results 148 2.4.8 Nicole Oresme on the Motion of Earth 149 2.5 Medieval Natural Philosophy 151 2.5.1 Faith, Authority, and Science 151 2.5.2 Faith and Experience 154 2.6 The Renaissance and Physics 157 2.6.1 Art, Philology, and Science 157 2.6.2 Progress in Mechanics 159 2.6.3 The Science of Artists 161 2.6.4 Leonardo da Vinci 162 2.6.5 The Professional Astronomers Take the Stage 164 2.6.6 The Role of the Printing Press 165 Chapter 3: Demolition and the Construction of a New Foundation 3.1 The World in 1600 171 3.2 Numerology and Reality 176 3.2.1 Back to Plato in a New Spirit 176 3.2.2 The Retrograde Revolutionary: Copernicus 177 3.2.3 A Compromise: Tycho Brahe 185 3.2.4 Celestial Harmony: Kepler 189 vi 3.3 Galileo and Those Who Stood in His Shadow 194 3.3.1 The Unity of the Celestial and Terrestrial Spheres 194 3.3.2 Inclined Planes, Pendulums, and Projectile Motion 201 3.3.3 Galileo’s Greatness 208 3.3.4 In the Background: Stevin and Beeckman 210 3.3.5 The Possibility of Connection 212 3.4 The New Philosophy: Doubt Becomes Method 213 3.4.1 Francis Bacon and the Inductive Method 213 3.4.2 A Method for Discovering Certain Truth: Descartes 216 3.4.3 The Cartesian Laws of Motion 219 3.4.4 The First Cosmogony 220 3.4.5 On the Periphery of Western Culture 223 3.5 Light, Vacuum, and Matter through the Middle of the Seventeenth Century 226 3.5.1 The Snell–Descartes Law 226 3.5.2 Fermat’s Principle 230 3.5.3 Vacuum and Air Pressure 233 3.5.4 Uncertain Steps on the Path to Modern Chemistry 237 3.6 After Descartes and before Newton: Huygens 240 3.6.1 Huygens’s Axioms on Dynamics 240 3.6.2 The Mathematical Pendulum 245 3.6.3 The Cycloidal Pendulum 246 3.6.4 The Physical Pendulum 249 3.6.5 The Collision Laws as Consequences of the Equivalence of Inertial Systems 252 3.6.6 Circular Motion 254 3.7 Newton and the Principia: The Newtonian Worldview 255 3.7.1 The Tasks Awaiting the Advent of Newton 255 3.7.2 A Force Is Not Required to Maintain a State of Motion but to Change It 256 3.7.3 The Law of Universal Gravitation 260 3.7.4 Selections from the Principia 264 3.7.5 Newton as Philosopher 270 Chapter 4: The Completion of Classical Physics 4.1 Starting Capital for the Eighteenth Century 281 4.1.1 Prior Results 281 4.1.2 Waves or Particles? 281 4.1.3 Analytic Geometry 289 4.1.4 Differential and Integral Calculus: The Battle of the Titans 291 4.1.5 For and against Descartes 297 4.1.6 Voltaire and the Philosophers 299 4.2 Worthy Successors: d’Alembert, Euler, and Lagrange 301 4.2.1 Possible Directions for Progress 301 4.2.2 Results in Statics 304 4.2.3 Newtonian Mechanics in Euler’s Hands 305 4.2.4 The First Variational Principle in Mechanics: Maupertuis 309 4.2.5 The First “Positivist”: d’Alembert 311 4.2.6 Modern Ideas 314 4.2.7 Mechanics as Poetry 316 vii 4.3 The Century of Light 319 4.3.1 The Enlightenment 319 4.3.2 The Great Encyclopedia 321 4.3.3 d’Alembert: Preface to the Encyclopedia 322 4.3.4 Belief in the Solid Foundation of Physics: Kant 326 4.4 From Effluvium to the Electromagnetic Field 329 4.4.1 Peter of Maricourt and Gilbert 329 4.4.2 The Chronology of Progress 330 4.4.3 Qualitative Electrostatics 332 4.4.4 Quantitative Electrostatics 338 4.4.5 Flow of Electric Charge 340 4.4.6 The Magnetic Field of Electric Currents: Cross-Fertilization from Natural Philosophy 345 4.4.7 The Interaction of Currents: An Extension of Newton’s Ideas 346 4.4.8 Faraday: The Greatest of the Experimentalists 349 4.4.9 Maxwell: The Fundamental Laws of Electromagnetic Fields 354 4.4.10 The Electromagnetic Theory of Light 359 4.4.11 Lorentz’s Theory of the Electron 363 4.5 Heat and Energy 365 4.5.1 The Thermometer 365 4.5.2 Progressive in Its Day: The Caloricum Theory of Joseph Black 366 4.5.3 Rumford: But Heat Is Still a Form of Motion! 368 4.5.4 Fourier’s Theory of Heat Conduction 369 4.5.5 Caloricum and the State Equation 372 4.5.6 The Carnot Cycle 373 4.5.7 The Kinetic Theory of Heat: First Steps 374 4.5.8 The Law of Conservation of Energy 376 4.5.9 The Kinetic Theory of Gases 377 4.5.10 The Second Law of Thermodynamics 379 4.5.11 Entropy and Probability 381 4.6 The Structure of Matter and Electricity: The Classical Atom 387 4.6.1 Chemistry Hinting at the Atomic Structure of Matter 387 4.6.2 The Electron: J.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • On the History of the Radiation Reaction1 Kirk T
    On the History of the Radiation Reaction1 Kirk T. McDonald Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (May 6, 2017; updated March 18, 2020) 1 Introduction Apparently, Kepler considered the pointing of comets’ tails away from the Sun as evidence for radiation pressure of light [2].2 Following Newton’s third law (see p. 83 of [3]), one might suppose there to be a reaction of the comet back on the incident light. However, this theme lay largely dormant until Poincar´e (1891) [37, 41] and Planck (1896) [46] discussed the effect of “radiation damping” on an oscillating electric charge that emits electromagnetic radiation. Already in 1892, Lorentz [38] had considered the self force on an extended, accelerated charge e, finding that for low velocity v this force has the approximate form (in Gaussian units, where c is the speed of light in vacuum), independent of the radius of the charge, 3e2 d2v 2e2v¨ F = = . (v c). (1) self 3c3 dt2 3c3 Lorentz made no connection at the time between this force and radiation, which connection rather was first made by Planck [46], who considered that there should be a damping force on an accelerated charge in reaction to its radiation, and by a clever transformation arrived at a “radiation-damping” force identical to eq. (1). Today, Lorentz is often credited with identifying eq. (1) as the “radiation-reaction force”, and the contribution of Planck is seldom acknowledged. This note attempts to review the history of thoughts on the “radiation reaction”, which seems to be in conflict with the brief discussions in many papers and “textbooks”.3 2 What is “Radiation”? The “radiation reaction” would seem to be a reaction to “radiation”, but the concept of “radiation” is remarkably poorly defined in the literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Classical Mechanics
    Classical Mechanics Hyoungsoon Choi Spring, 2014 Contents 1 Introduction4 1.1 Kinematics and Kinetics . .5 1.2 Kinematics: Watching Wallace and Gromit ............6 1.3 Inertia and Inertial Frame . .8 2 Newton's Laws of Motion 10 2.1 The First Law: The Law of Inertia . 10 2.2 The Second Law: The Equation of Motion . 11 2.3 The Third Law: The Law of Action and Reaction . 12 3 Laws of Conservation 14 3.1 Conservation of Momentum . 14 3.2 Conservation of Angular Momentum . 15 3.3 Conservation of Energy . 17 3.3.1 Kinetic energy . 17 3.3.2 Potential energy . 18 3.3.3 Mechanical energy conservation . 19 4 Solving Equation of Motions 20 4.1 Force-Free Motion . 21 4.2 Constant Force Motion . 22 4.2.1 Constant force motion in one dimension . 22 4.2.2 Constant force motion in two dimensions . 23 4.3 Varying Force Motion . 25 4.3.1 Drag force . 25 4.3.2 Harmonic oscillator . 29 5 Lagrangian Mechanics 30 5.1 Configuration Space . 30 5.2 Lagrangian Equations of Motion . 32 5.3 Generalized Coordinates . 34 5.4 Lagrangian Mechanics . 36 5.5 D'Alembert's Principle . 37 5.6 Conjugate Variables . 39 1 CONTENTS 2 6 Hamiltonian Mechanics 40 6.1 Legendre Transformation: From Lagrangian to Hamiltonian . 40 6.2 Hamilton's Equations . 41 6.3 Configuration Space and Phase Space . 43 6.4 Hamiltonian and Energy . 45 7 Central Force Motion 47 7.1 Conservation Laws in Central Force Field . 47 7.2 The Path Equation .
    [Show full text]
  • Power Sources Challenge
    POWER SOURCES CHALLENGE FUSION PHYSICS! A CLEAN ENERGY Summary: What if we could harness the power of the Sun for energy here on Fusion reactions occur when two nuclei come together to form one Earth? What would it take to accomplish this feat? Is it possible? atom. The reaction that happens in the sun fuses two Hydrogen atoms together to produce Helium. It looks like this in a very simplified way: Many researchers including our Department of Energy scientists and H + H He + ENERGY. This energy can be calculated by the famous engineers are taking on this challenge! In fact, there is one DOE Laboratory Einstein equation, E = mc2. devoted to fusion physics and is committed to being at the forefront of the science of magnetic fusion energy. Each of the colliding hydrogen atoms is a different isotope of In order to understand a little more about fusion energy, you will learn about hydrogen, one deuterium and one the atom and how reactions at the atomic level produce energy. tritium. The difference in these isotopes is simply one neutron. Background: It all starts with plasma! If you need to learn more about plasma Deuterium has one proton and one physics, visit the Power Sources Challenge plasma activities. neutron, tritium has one proton and two neutrons. Look at the The Fusion Reaction that happens in the SUN looks like this: illustration—do you see how the mass of the products is less than the mass of the reactants? That is called a mass deficit and that difference in mass is converted into energy.
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Tour Into the History of Gravity: from Emocritus to Einstein
    American Journal of Space Science 1 (1): 33-45, 2013 ISSN: 1948-9927 © 2013 Science Publications doi:10.3844/ajssp.2013.33.45 Published Online 1 (1) 2013 (http://www.thescipub.com/ajss.toc) A Brief Tour into the History of Gravity: From Emocritus to Einstein Panagiotis Papaspirou and Xenophon Moussas Department of Physics, Section of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics, University of Athens, Athens, Greece ABSTRACT The History of Gravity encompasses many different versions of the idea of the Gravitational interaction, which starts already from the Presocratic Atomists, continues to the doctrines of the Platonic and Neoplatonic School and of the Aristotelian School, passes through the works of John Philoponus and John Bouridan and reaches the visions of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. Then, the major breakthrough in the Theory of Motion and the Theory of Gravity takes place within the realm of Isaac Newton’s most famous Principia and of the work of Gottfried Leibniz, continues with the contributions of the Post- newtonians, such as Leonhard Euler, reaches the epoch of its modern formulation by Ernst Mach and other Giants of Physics and Philosophy of this epoch, enriches its structure within the work of Henry Poincare and finally culminates within the work of Albert Einstein, with the formulation of the Theory of Special Relativity and of General Relativity at the begin of the 20th century. The evolution of the Theory of General Relativity still continues up to our times, is rich in forms it takes and full of ideas of theoretical strength. Many fundamental concepts of the Epistemology and the History of Physics appear in the study of the Theory of Gravity, such as the notions of Space, of Time, of Motion, of Mass, in its Inertial, Active Gravitational and Passive Gravitational form, of the Inertial system of reference, of the Force, of the Field, of the Riemannian Geometry and of the Field Equations.
    [Show full text]
  • Avoiding the Void: Avicenna on the Impossibility of Circular Motion in a Void*
    Created on 24 December 2006 at 20.51 hours page 1 Avoiding the Void: Avicenna on the Impossibility of Circular Motion in a Void* Jon McGinnis The topic of the void was of significant philosophical and scientific importance in the ancient and medieval world. Some, such as the atomists, maintained that the void was essential if one were to explain motion. Others, such as Aristotle, argued that the exis- tence of the void would absolutely preclude the possibility of motion. Moreover, there were disputes concerning even how to characterize the void. Thus the atomists claimed that interstitial voids were dispersed throughout every body and existed alongside bo- dies in an infinite space. Others, such as the Stoics, held that all bodies were localized in a plenum that was itself situated in an extra-cosmic, infinite void. Still others, such as the Neoplatonist John Philoponus, thought that the void was finite, and although as a matter of fact it is never devoid of a body, it at least is capable of existing independent of any body. The above roughly provides the gamut of positions concerning the void as it reached the medieval Arabic philosopher Avicenna ( 370–428/ 980–1037). In one form or another, Avicenna was aware of the various moves and counter-moves associated with the notion of the void. Like Aristotle, he maintained that the existence of the void would absolutely preclude the possibility of motion. His arguments in some cases simply rehearse those of Aristotle; in other places they expand on the thought of Aristotle in order to respond to new threats that arose after Aristotle’s own time; and in certain situations Avicenna constructs new arguments against the void used neither by Aristotle nor, from what we can gather, Aristotle’s later Greek commentators.
    [Show full text]
  • Physics 101 Today Chapter 5: Newton's Third
    Physics 101 Today Chapter 5: Newton’s Third Law First, let’s clarify notion of a force : Previously defined force as a push or pull. Better to think of force as an interaction between two objects. You can’t push anything without it pushing back on you ! Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first. Newton’s 3 rd Law - often called “action-reaction ” Eg. Leaning against a wall. You push against the wall. The wall is also pushing on you, equally hard – normal/support force. Now place a piece of paper between the wall and hand. Push on it – it doesn’t accelerate must be zero net force. The wall is pushing equally as hard (normal force) on the paper in the opposite direction to your hand, resulting in zero Fnet . This is more evident when hold a balloon against the wall – it is squashed on both sides. Eg. You pull on a cart. It accelerates. The cart pulls back on you (you feel the rope get tighter). Can call your pull the “ action ” and cart’s pull the “ reaction ”. Or, the other way around. • Newton’s 3 rd law means that forces always come in action -reaction pairs . It doesn’t matter which is called the action and which is called the reaction. • Note: Action-reaction pairs never act on the same object Examples of action-reaction force pairs In fact it is the road’s push that makes the car go forward. Same when we walk – push back on floor, floor pushes us forward.
    [Show full text]
  • Newton.Indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 16-11-12 / 14:45 | Pag
    omslag Newton.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 16-11-12 / 14:45 | Pag. 1 e Dutch Republic proved ‘A new light on several to be extremely receptive to major gures involved in the groundbreaking ideas of Newton Isaac Newton (–). the reception of Newton’s Dutch scholars such as Willem work.’ and the Netherlands Jacob ’s Gravesande and Petrus Prof. Bert Theunissen, Newton the Netherlands and van Musschenbroek played a Utrecht University crucial role in the adaption and How Isaac Newton was Fashioned dissemination of Newton’s work, ‘is book provides an in the Dutch Republic not only in the Netherlands important contribution to but also in the rest of Europe. EDITED BY ERIC JORINK In the course of the eighteenth the study of the European AND AD MAAS century, Newton’s ideas (in Enlightenment with new dierent guises and interpre- insights in the circulation tations) became a veritable hype in Dutch society. In Newton of knowledge.’ and the Netherlands Newton’s Prof. Frans van Lunteren, sudden success is analyzed in Leiden University great depth and put into a new perspective. Ad Maas is curator at the Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, the Netherlands. Eric Jorink is researcher at the Huygens Institute for Netherlands History (Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences). / www.lup.nl LUP Newton and the Netherlands.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 16-11-12 / 16:47 | Pag. 1 Newton and the Netherlands Newton and the Netherlands.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 16-11-12 / 16:47 | Pag. 2 Newton and the Netherlands.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 16-11-12 / 16:47 | Pag.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Introduction Queen's College, the predecessor of Rutgers University, was the eighth college to be founded in the American colonies. The early colonial colleges were founded to meet the emerging needs for an educated clergy, and to provide education to other leaders of the community. The religious leaders of the colonies were foremost in the movements to establish these colleges. Although denominational sponsorship was critical to the founding and early support of the colleges, there were generally no religious tests for students, and the colleges were chartered by the colonies. Leaders of the Puritan Congregational Church founded Harvard College in 1636 with a bequest of £400 from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The College was organized and named Harvard College in 1639, and chartered in 1650. The traditional list of colonial colleges that followed Harvard College begins with William and Mary College, which was founded in 1693 by leaders of the Anglican Episcopal Church, followed by Yale College, which was founded in 1701 by leaders of the Puritan Congregational Church. The College of Philadelphia (later University of Pennsylvania) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin and other leading citizens of Philadelphia, and had the weakest religious connections of the colonial colleges. The College of New Jersey (later Princeton College) was founded in 1746 by leaders of the Presbyterian Church, King's College (later Columbia College) was founded in 1754 by leaders of the Anglican Episcopal Church, and the College of Rhode Island (later Brown College) was founded in 1764 by leaders of the Baptist Church. 1 History of Physics and Astronomy Some elements of physics and astronomy were taught in the colonial colleges from the time they opened.
    [Show full text]
  • What's the Problem with the Cosmological Constant?
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Philsci-Archive What’s the problem with the cosmological constant? Mike D. Schneider∗y Abstract The “Cosmological Constant Problem” (CCP) is widely considered a crisis in contemporary theoretical physics. Unfortunately, the search for its resolution is hampered by open disagreement about what is, strictly, the problem. This disagreement stems from the observation that the CCP is not a problem within any of our current theories, and nearly all of the details of those future theories for which the CCP could be made a problem are up for grabs. Given this state of affairs, I discuss how one ought to make sense of the role of the CCP in physics and generalize some lessons from it. ∗To contact the author, write to: Mike D. Schneider, Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine; e-mail: [email protected]. yI would like to thank James Owen Weatherall and Erik Curiel for their steering comments on earlier drafts of this paper. I am also grateful for the many questions and comments from members of the Southern California Philosophy of Physics reading group, as well as for the positive reception of the paper at the Philosophy of Logic, Math, and Physics graduate student conference at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at Western University. Finally, I am indebted to Jeffrey Barrett, JB Manchak, Hannah Rubin, Kyle Stanford, and John Earman, as well as to an anonymous reviewer and an editor for pushing me to make my punchlines clearer.
    [Show full text]
  • Statistical Mechanics
    3 d rB rB 3 d rA rA Statistical Mechanics Daniel F. Styer December 2007 Statistical Mechanics Dan Styer Department of Physics and Astronomy Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1088 [email protected] http://www.oberlin.edu/physics/dstyer December 2007 Although, as a matter of history, statistical mechanics owes its origin to investigations in thermodynamics, it seems eminently worthy of an independent development, both on account of the elegance and simplicity of its principles, and because it yields new results and places old truths in a new light. | J. Willard Gibbs Elementary Principles in Statistical Mechanics Contents 0 Preface 1 1 The Properties of Matter in Bulk 4 1.1 What is Statistical Mechanics About? . 4 1.2 Outline of Book . 4 1.3 Fluid Statics . 5 1.4 Phase Diagrams . 7 1.5 Additional Problems . 7 2 Principles of Statistical Mechanics 10 2.1 Microscopic Description of a Classical System . 10 2.2 Macroscopic Description of a Large Equilibrium System . 14 2.3 Fundamental Assumption . 15 2.4 Statistical Definition of Entropy . 17 2.5 Entropy of a Monatomic Ideal Gas . 19 2.6 Qualitative Features of Entropy . 25 2.7 Using Entropy to Find (Define) Temperature and Pressure . 34 2.8 Additional Problems . 44 3 Thermodynamics 46 3.1 Heat and Work . 46 3.2 Heat Engines . 50 i ii CONTENTS 3.3 Thermodynamic Quantities . 52 3.4 Multivariate Calculus . 55 3.5 The Thermodynamic Dance . 60 3.6 Non-fluid Systems . 67 3.7 Thermodynamics Applied to Fluids . 68 3.8 Thermodynamics Applied to Phase Transitions .
    [Show full text]
  • Verification, Validation, and Predictive Capability in Computational Engineering and Physics
    SAND REPORT SAND2003-3769 Unlimited Release Printed February 2003 Verification, Validation, and Predictive Capability in Computational Engineering and Physics William L. Oberkampf, Timothy G. Trucano, and Charles Hirsch Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 and Livermore, California 94550 Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94-AL85000. Approved for public release; further dissemination unlimited. Issued by Sandia National Laboratories, operated for the United States Department of Energy by Sandia Corporation. NOTICE: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, any agency thereof, or any of their contractors or subcontractors. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, any agency thereof, or any of their contractors. Printed in the United States of America. This report has been reproduced directly from the best available copy.
    [Show full text]
  • Separate Material Intellect in Averroes' Mature Philosophy Richard C
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by epublications@Marquette Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications Philosophy, Department of 1-1-2004 Separate Material Intellect in Averroes' Mature Philosophy Richard C. Taylor Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. "Separate Material Intellect in Averroes' Mature Philosophy," in Words, Texts and Concepts Cruising the Mediterranean Sea. Eds. Gerhard Endress, Rud̈ iger Arnzen and J Thielmann. Leuven; Dudley, MA: Peeters, 2004: 289-309. Permalink. © 2004 Peeters Publishers. Used with permission. ORIENTALIA LOVANIENSIA ANALECTA ---139--- 'WORDS, TEXTS AND CONCEPTS CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA Studies on the sources, contents and influences of Islamic civilization and Arabic philosophy and science Dedicated to Gerhard Endress on his sixty-fifth birthday edited by R. ARNZEN and J. THIELMANN UITGEVERIJ PEETERS en DEPARTEMENT OOSTERSE STUDIES LEUVEN - PARIS - DUDLEY, MA 2004 SEPARATE MATERIAL INTELLECT IN A VERROES' MATURE PHILOSOPHY Richard C. T AYLOR Marquette University, Milwaukee The doctrine of the material intellect promulgated by Averroes (i126- 1198) in his latest works is surely the teaching for which he has been most maligned both in the medieval era and in modern times. In medi­ eval times Duns Scotus spoke of "That accursed Averroes" whose "fan­ tastic conception, intelligible neither to himself nor to others, assumes the intellective part of man to be a sort
    [Show full text]