Physics & Astrophysics 2012
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Required Readings
HPS/PHIL 93872 Spring 2006 Historical Foundations of the Quantum Theory Don Howard, Instructor Required Readings: Topic: Readings: Planck and black-body radiation. Martin Klein. “Planck, Entropy, and Quanta, 19011906.” The Natural Philosopher 1 (1963), 83-108. Martin Klein. “Einstein’s First Paper on Quanta.” The Natural Einstein and the photo-electric effect. Philosopher 2 (1963), 59-86. Max Jammer. “Regularities in Line Spectra”; “Bohr’s Theory The Bohr model of the atom and spectral of the Hydrogen Atom.” In The Conceptual Development of series. Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 62- 88. The Bohr-Sommerfeld “old” quantum Max Jammer. “The Older Quantum Theory.” In The Conceptual theory; Einstein on transition Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, probabilities. 1966, pp. 89-156. The Bohr-Kramers-Slater theory. Max Jammer. “The Transition to Quantum Mechanics.” In The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 157-195. Bose-Einstein statistics. Don Howard. “‘Nicht sein kann was nicht sein darf,’ or the Prehistory of EPR, 1909-1935: Einstein’s Early Worries about the Quantum Mechanics of Composite Systems.” In Sixty-Two Years of Uncertainty: Historical, Philosophical, and Physical Inquiries into the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. Arthur Miller, ed. New York: Plenum, 1990, pp. 61-111. Max Jammer. “The Formation of Quantum Mechanics.” In The Schrödinger and wave mechanics; Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: Heisenberg and matrix mechanics. McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 196-280. James T. Cushing. “Early Attempts at Causal Theories: A De Broglie and the origins of pilot-wave Stillborn Program.” In Quantum Mechanics: Historical theory. -
John Von Neumann's “Impossibility Proof” in a Historical Perspective’, Physis 32 (1995), Pp
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by SAS-SPACE Published: Louis Caruana, ‘John von Neumann's “Impossibility Proof” in a Historical Perspective’, Physis 32 (1995), pp. 109-124. JOHN VON NEUMANN'S ‘IMPOSSIBILITY PROOF’ IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ABSTRACT John von Neumann's proof that quantum mechanics is logically incompatible with hidden varibales has been the object of extensive study both by physicists and by historians. The latter have concentrated mainly on the way the proof was interpreted, accepted and rejected between 1932, when it was published, and 1966, when J.S. Bell published the first explicit identification of the mistake it involved. What is proposed in this paper is an investigation into the origins of the proof rather than the aftermath. In the first section, a brief overview of the his personal life and his proof is given to set the scene. There follows a discussion on the merits of using here the historical method employed elsewhere by Andrew Warwick. It will be argued that a study of the origins of von Neumann's proof shows how there is an interaction between the following factors: the broad issues within a specific culture, the learning process of the theoretical physicist concerned, and the conceptual techniques available. In our case, the ‘conceptual technology’ employed by von Neumann is identified as the method of axiomatisation. 1. INTRODUCTION A full biography of John von Neumann is not yet available. Moreover, it seems that there is a lack of extended historical work on the origin of his contributions to quantum mechanics. -
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SPRING 1991 85 Inbetweenness: Spatial Folds in Theatre Historiography Michal Kobialka Thought thinks its own history (the past), but in order to free itself from what it thinks (the present) and be able finally to "think otherwise" (the future). Gilles Deleuze, Foucault In his recent book, Soundings in Critical T7ieoryy Dominick LaCapra discusses the critical and self-critical nature of historiography. Noteworthy is a passage introducing the dialogic exchanges between the theoretical systems of Marx, Derrida, Foucault, and other contemporary theoreticians, in which LaCapra talks about the nature of criticism today: Any assembly of "critics" today will have representatives of various established departments who are uneasy with their own represent ative function and may find more to say, listen to, or at least argue about with other critics than with more securely "representative" members of their own department or field. Indeed contemporary critics are no longer content with interdisciplinary efforts that simply combine, compare, or synthetically unify the methods of existing academic disciplines. Their questioning of established disciplines both raises doubts about internal criteria of purity or autonomy and unsettles the boundaries and protocols of given fields. Criticism in this sense is a discursive agitation running across a variety of Michal Kobialka has published articles and reviews in Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Theatre History Studies, Medieval Perspectives, The Drama Review, Theatre Journal, Stages, Slavic and East European Journal, and Soviet and East-European Drama, Theatre and Film. He is currently working on a book on Taduesz Kantor and his Cricot 2 theatre. 86 Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism disciplines and having an uneasy relation to its own institutional ization. -
Required Readings
HPS/PHIL 687 Fall 2003 Historical Foundations of the Quantum Theory Required Readings: Topic: Readings: Planck and black-body radiation. Martin Klein. “Planck, Entropy, and Quanta, 1901- 1906.” The Natural Philosopher 1 (1963), 83-108. Einstein and the photo-electric effect. Martin Klein. “Einstein’s First Paper on Quanta.” The Natural Philosopher 2 (1963), 59-86. The Bohr model of the atom and spectral series. Max Jammer. “Regularities in Line Spectra”; “Bohr’s Theory of the Hydrogen Atom.” In The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 62-88. The Bohr-Sommerfeld “old” quantum theory; Max Jammer. “The Older Quantum Theory.” In Einstein on transition probabilities. The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 89-156. The Bohr-Kramers-Slater theory. Max Jammer. “The Transition to Quantum Mechanics.” In The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 157-195. Bose-Einstein statistics. Don Howard. “‘Nicht sein kann was nicht sein darf,’ or the Prehistory of EPR, 1909-1935: Einstein’s Early Worries about the Quantum Mechanics of Composite Systems.” In Sixty-Two Years of Uncertainty: Historical, Philosophical, and Physical Inquiries into the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. Arthur Miller, ed. New York: Plenum, 1990, pp. 61-111. Schrödinger and wave mechanics; Heisenberg and Max Jammer. “The Formation of Quantum matrix mechanics. Mechanics.” In The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966, pp. 196-280. De Broglie and the origins of pilot-wave theory. James T. Cushing. “Early Attempts at Causal Theories: A Stillborn Program.” In Quantum Mechanics: Historical Contingency and the Copenhagen Hegemony. -
PDF Book, Philosophy of Physics
This content has been downloaded from IOPscience. Please scroll down to see the full text. Download details: IP Address: 170.106.34.90 This content was downloaded on 23/09/2021 at 15:07 Please note that terms and conditions apply. You may also be interested in: Physics as a useful tool for learning English Jesús Fidalgo and Juan Ramón Gallástegui Don't overlook the beauty in physics Leon Lederman Pregnancy and physics: can they mix? What is mathematical physics? Vladimir I Arnol'd Get set for The Physics Congress 2001 Philosophy of Physics Philosophy of Physics Robert P Crease Stony Brook University, New York, US IOP Publishing, Bristol, UK ª IOP Publishing Ltd 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, or as expressly permitted by law or under terms agreed with the appropriate rights organization. Multiple copying is permitted in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, the Copyright Clearance Centre and other reproduction rights organisations. Permission to make use of IOP Publishing content other than as set out above may be sought at [email protected]. Robert P Crease has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978-0-7503-1542-5 (ebook) DOI 10.1088/978-0-7503-1542-5 Version: 20171001 Physics World Discovery ISSN 2399-2891 (online) British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. -
Herrmann Review Final
Physics and Beyond: Essay review of Kay Herrmann (ed.): Grete Henry-Hermann: Philosophie – Mathematik – Quantenmechanik. Springer: Wiesbaden, 2019, xv + 663 pp. Guido Bacciagaluppi* 1 Introduction Grete Hermann belongs in the canon of Western philosophy. At the start of her career she produced noteworthy work on abstract algebra as Emmy Noether’s first doctoral student at Göttingen. From 1926 on she turned to philosophy, and arguably became the most significant philosopher of physics and one of the most original neo-Kantian philosophers of the interwar period. She continued to make notable contributions to philosophy, but dedicated the second half of her career to reconstructing the educational system in post-war Germany. Hermann has always been known as a figure of significance in the foundations of quantum mechanics, thanks to the chapter devoted to her by Heisenberg in Physics and Beyond (Heisenberg 1971) – whose title I borrow here – and to the ever-informed Max Jammer who discusses her work in some detail in The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics (Jammer 1974). A renewed interest in Hermann as a philosopher of physics and neo-Kantian natural philosopher was arguably sparked by the volume by Léna Soler that included the French translation of Hermann’s main essay on quantum mechanics (Hermann 1996), and by Dirk Lumma’s English edition of the short version of the same (Hermann 1999). This volume, edited by Kay Herrmann (no relation – two ‘r’s), collects now in the original German Hermann’s entire published output on mathematics, philosophy of physics, and neo-Kantian natural philosophy, some further published and unpublished work, and more than fifty letters exchanged with Werner Heisenberg, Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, Paul Bernays, Max Jammer, Bartel van der Waerden and others. -
ALBERT EINSTEIN March 14, 1879—April 18, 1955
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES A L B E R T E INSTEIN 1879—1955 A Biographical Memoir by J O H N A R C H I B A L D W HEELER Any opinions expressed in this memoir are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academy of Sciences. Biographical Memoir COPYRIGHT 1980 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES WASHINGTON D.C. ALBERT EINSTEIN March 14, 1879—April 18, 1955 BY JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELER* ALBERT EINSTEIN was born in Ulm, Germany on March -**- 14, 1879. After education in Germany, Italy, and Swit- zerland, and professorships in Bern, Zurich, and Prague, he was appointed Director of Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Phy- sics in Berlin in 1914. He became a professor in the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton beginning the fall of 1933, became an American citizen in the summer of 1936, and died in Princeton, New Jersey on April 18, 1955. In the Berlin where in 1900 Max Planck discovered the quantum, Einstein fifteen years later explained to us that gravitation is not something foreign and mysterious acting through space, but a manifestation of space geometry itself. He came to understand that the universe does not go on from everlasting to everlasting, but begins with a big bang. Of all the questions with which the great thinkers have occupied themselves in all lands and all centuries, none has ever claimed greater primacy than the origin of the universe, and no contributions to this issue ever made by any man anytime have proved themselves richer in illuminating power than those that Einstein made. -
The Roots of Complementarity
The Roots of Complementarity The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Holton, Gerald. 1970. The Roots of Complementarity. Daedalus 99 (4), The Making of Modern Science: Biographical Studies (Fall, 1970): 1015-1055. Published Version https://www.jstor.org/stable/20023980 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:37902465 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Gerald Holton The Roots of Complementarity Each age is formed by certain characteristic conceptions, those that give it its own unmistakable modernity. The renovation of quantum physics in the mid-1920s brought into public view just such a conception, one that marked a turning point in the road from which our view of the intellectual landscape, in science and in other fields, will forever be qualitatively different from that of earlier periods. It was in September 1927 in Como, Italy, during the International Congress of Physics held in commemoration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Alessandro Volta's death, that Niels Bohr for the first time introduced in a public lecture his formulation of complementarity.1 Bohr's audience contained most of the leading physicists of the world in this area of work, men such as Max Born, Louis de Broglie, A. H. Compton, Peter Debye, Enrico Fermi, James Franck, Werner Heisenberg, Max von Laue, H. -
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy in the Research on the Foundations of Quantum Physics: E.P
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy in the Research on the Foundations of Quantum Physics: E.P. Wigner’s Case# Olival Freire Jr. Dealing with Eugene Wigner’s ideas on the measurement procedure in quantum physics and unearthing the controversy that pitted him against supporters of the interpretation of complementarity, I will show how Wigner and his followers contributed to the defeat of a seemingly unshakeable consensus. In fact, although he intended to defend what seemed to him to be orthodoxy, he himself became a heterodox. I suggest that Wigner’s conjectures on the role of consciousness in physical phenomena were not fruitful and were discarded, being today part of the history of physics rather than physics proper. However, his ideas and actions left an indelible mark on the physics of the second half of the 20th century. Namely, he formulated his ideas in opposition to the “Copenhagen monocracy,” which held a stronghold on the interpretation of quantum physics until the late 1960s; he stressed the unsolved status of the measurement problem; and he effectively defended his ideas and supported those who were willing to investigate the foundations of quantum physics. He thus contributed to the creation of a new field of physical research, that of the foundations of quantum physics, which attributed a higher scientific status to the old controversy on the interpretations and foundations of this theory. This new field has had to deal with important theoretical, experimental, and philosophical issues, and significant repercussions have arisen in the last decades. The intrinsic historic worth of Wigner’s case should be enough to justify its inclusion in a book organized to criticize the hubris of the contemporary scientism and to suggest, instead, the role of prudent knowledge for a decent life. -
Fritz Rohrlich and His Work—
Foundations of Physics, Vol. 24, No. 2, 1994 Fritz Rohrlich and His Work On the Occasion of His Retirement Max Jammer 1 Received June 24, 1993 Fritz Rohrlich was born in Vienna, Austria, on May 12, 1921, as the only child of the lawyer Egon Rohrlich and his wife Illy, n6e Schwarz. His seven year older half-brother, George, lived with his father's first wife (Rosa Tenzer), but spent his weekends usually at his father's home. George was to play an important role in the life of Fritz. Both of them attended the same high school, the Realgymnasium in Vienna's first district. It must have had good science teachers, for it produced a number of distinguished physicists, among them Victor F. Weisskopf. Fritz's interest in the physical sciences was stimulated by his teachers as well as--and perhaps even more--by George who used to supply him with books on popular science, as well as on philosophical and ideological issues, such as Hfickel's Die Weltriitsel, Spinoza's Ethics, and Pinsker's Autoemanzipation. The greatest influence upon Fritz's mind, however, had Hans Reichenbach's Atom und Kosmos, for it led him to the decision to study physics and philosophy at the University of Vienna. But political events thwarted the realization of this plan. In March 1938 Hitler marched into Vienna. Fritz had to leave school without obtaining the high school diploma that would have entitled him to study at the University. His application to study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem was turned down on the ground that the applicant had not completed high school. -
Indeterminacy and the Limits of Classical Concepts: the Transformation of Heisenberg’S Thought
Indeterminacy and the Limits of Classical Concepts: The Transformation of Heisenberg’s Thought Kristian Camilleri University of Melbourne This paper examines the transformation which occurs in Heisenberg’s under- standing of indeterminacy in quantum mechanics between 1926 and 1928. After his initial but unsuccessful attempt to construct new quantum concepts of space and time, in 1927 Heisenberg presented an operational deªnition of concepts such as ‘position’ and ‘velocity’. Yet, after discussions with Bohr, he came to the realisation that classical concepts such as position and momentum are indispensable in quantum mechanics in spite of their limited applicabil- ity. This transformation in Heisenberg’s thought, which centres on his theory of meaning, marks the critical turning point in his interpretation of quan- tum mechanics. 1. Introduction The publication of Heisenberg’s paper ‘The Physical Content of Quantum Kinematics and Mechanics’ in March 1927 is widely regarded as having made a major contribution to the development of the orthodox interpreta- tion of quantum mechanics (Heisenberg, [1927] 1983). In the paper Heisenberg argued that the accuracy with which we can know both the position and momentum of a particle, such as an electron, is subject to an in principle limitation. The more precisely we can determine the particle’s position, the less precisely we know its momentum, and vice versa. The uncertainty or indeterminacy principle, as it is commonly known, has been the subject of detailed historical and philosophical investigation (Beller 1985; Beller 1999:65–101; Jammer 1974:56–84). However, it has gone largely unnoticed that at the time when Heisenberg was formulating his thoughts on indeterminacy, his own philosophical view was in a state of transformation, particularly with regard to the use of concepts like ‘po- sition’ and ‘momentum’ in quantum mechanics. -
Physics & Astrophysics 2009
Physics & Astrophysics 2009 To receive notices about new books, subscribe for email at: press.princeton.edu/subscribe physics.press.princeton.edu Letter from the Editor Dear reader, This year’s catalog holds a rich store of new books. Our trade science list in particular boasts a collection of riveting works by superb authors. Don’t miss Peter Ward’s groundbreaking Medea Hypothesis: Is Life on Earth Ultimately Self-Destructive?, one of the most recent additions to our prestigious, popular-level Science Essentials series. In this book, Ward poses an electrifying new hypothesis and effectively redefines our understanding of the fundamental nature of life and its relationship to the planet Earth. Not since his famous Rare Earth has Ward published such an ambitious work—one that will tear down existing paradigms, startle experts into debate, and inspire readers from every background to reevaluate their concept of life and our place in the universe. Similarly provocative, and also part of the Science Essentials series, is David Archer’s The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth’s Climate. Archer shows how, for the first time, humans have become major players in shaping the long-term climate, causing a climate storm that will last several hundred years, and dramatic climate changes that will last thousands. Another stimulating addition to the trade science list is Sébastien Balibar’s charming The Atom and the Apple: Twelve Tales from Contemporary Physics, which explains how one of the best ways of coming to understand some of the most mind-bending puzzles of physics is to simply look a little more deeply at the seemingly mundane.