Author: David Park
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642749224
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
The short Heroic Age of physics that started in 1925 was one of the rare occasions when a deep consideration of the question: What does physics really say? was necessary in carrying out numerical calculations. In many parts of microphysics the calculations have now become relatively straightforward if not easy, but most physicists seem to agree that some questions of principle remain to be resolved, even if they do not think it is very important to do so. This situation has affected the way people think and write about quantum mechanics, a gingerly approach to fundamentals and a tendency to emphasize what fifty years ago was new in the new theory at the expense of continuity with what came before it. Nowadays those who look into the subject are more likely to be struck by unexpected similarities between quantum and classical mechanics than by dramatic contrasts they had been led to expect. It is often said that the hardest part of understanding quantum mechanics is to understand that there is nothing to understand; all the same, to think quantum mechanically it helps to have firm mental connections with classical physics and to know exactly what these connections do and do not imply. This book originated more than a decade ago as informal lecture notes [OP, prepared for use in a course taught from time to time to advanced undergraduates at Williams College.
Classical Dynamics and Its Quantum Analogues
Author: David Park
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642749224
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
The short Heroic Age of physics that started in 1925 was one of the rare occasions when a deep consideration of the question: What does physics really say? was necessary in carrying out numerical calculations. In many parts of microphysics the calculations have now become relatively straightforward if not easy, but most physicists seem to agree that some questions of principle remain to be resolved, even if they do not think it is very important to do so. This situation has affected the way people think and write about quantum mechanics, a gingerly approach to fundamentals and a tendency to emphasize what fifty years ago was new in the new theory at the expense of continuity with what came before it. Nowadays those who look into the subject are more likely to be struck by unexpected similarities between quantum and classical mechanics than by dramatic contrasts they had been led to expect. It is often said that the hardest part of understanding quantum mechanics is to understand that there is nothing to understand; all the same, to think quantum mechanically it helps to have firm mental connections with classical physics and to know exactly what these connections do and do not imply. This book originated more than a decade ago as informal lecture notes [OP, prepared for use in a course taught from time to time to advanced undergraduates at Williams College.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642749224
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
The short Heroic Age of physics that started in 1925 was one of the rare occasions when a deep consideration of the question: What does physics really say? was necessary in carrying out numerical calculations. In many parts of microphysics the calculations have now become relatively straightforward if not easy, but most physicists seem to agree that some questions of principle remain to be resolved, even if they do not think it is very important to do so. This situation has affected the way people think and write about quantum mechanics, a gingerly approach to fundamentals and a tendency to emphasize what fifty years ago was new in the new theory at the expense of continuity with what came before it. Nowadays those who look into the subject are more likely to be struck by unexpected similarities between quantum and classical mechanics than by dramatic contrasts they had been led to expect. It is often said that the hardest part of understanding quantum mechanics is to understand that there is nothing to understand; all the same, to think quantum mechanically it helps to have firm mental connections with classical physics and to know exactly what these connections do and do not imply. This book originated more than a decade ago as informal lecture notes [OP, prepared for use in a course taught from time to time to advanced undergraduates at Williams College.
Quantum-Classical Analogies
Author: Daniela Dragoman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662096471
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
It is unanimously accepted that the quantum and the classical descriptions of the physical reality are very different, although any quantum process is "mysteriously" transformed through measurement into an observable classical event. Beyond the conceptual differences, quantum and classical physics have a lot in common. And, more important, there are classical and quantum phenomena that are similar although they occur in completely different contexts. For example, the Schrödinger equation has the same mathematical form as the Helmholtz equation, there is an uncertainty relation in optics very similar to that in quantum mechanics, and so on; the list of examples is very long. Quantum-classical analogies have been used in recent years to study many quantum laws or phenomena at the macroscopic scale, to design and simulate mesoscopic devices at the macroscopic scale, to implement quantum computer algorithms with classical means, etc. On the other hand, the new forms of light – localized light, frozen light – seem to have more in common with solid state physics than with classical optics. So these analogies are a valuable tool in the quest to understand quantum phenomena and in the search for new (quantum or classical) applications, especially in the area of quantum devices and computing.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662096471
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
It is unanimously accepted that the quantum and the classical descriptions of the physical reality are very different, although any quantum process is "mysteriously" transformed through measurement into an observable classical event. Beyond the conceptual differences, quantum and classical physics have a lot in common. And, more important, there are classical and quantum phenomena that are similar although they occur in completely different contexts. For example, the Schrödinger equation has the same mathematical form as the Helmholtz equation, there is an uncertainty relation in optics very similar to that in quantum mechanics, and so on; the list of examples is very long. Quantum-classical analogies have been used in recent years to study many quantum laws or phenomena at the macroscopic scale, to design and simulate mesoscopic devices at the macroscopic scale, to implement quantum computer algorithms with classical means, etc. On the other hand, the new forms of light – localized light, frozen light – seem to have more in common with solid state physics than with classical optics. So these analogies are a valuable tool in the quest to understand quantum phenomena and in the search for new (quantum or classical) applications, especially in the area of quantum devices and computing.
Classical Dynamics and Its Quantum Analogues
Author: David Park
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783642749230
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 348
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783642749230
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 348
Book Description
The How and the Why
Author: David Park
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691221677
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 488
Book Description
The description for this book, The How and the Why, will be forthcoming.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691221677
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 488
Book Description
The description for this book, The How and the Why, will be forthcoming.
The Grand Contraption
Author: David Park
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691233187
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's attempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit--and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe. According to Park, people long ago conceived of our world as a great rock slab inhabited by gods, devils, and people and crowned by stars. Thinkers imagined ether to fill the empty space, and in the comforting certainty of celestial movement they discerned numbers, and in numbers, order. Separate sections of the book tell the fascinating stories of measuring and mapping the Earth and Heavens, and later, the scientific exploration of the universe. The journey reveals many common threads stretching from ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to peoples of today. For example, humans have tended to imagine Earth and Sky as living creatures. Not true, say science-savvy moderns. But truth isn't always the point. The point, says Park, is that Earth is indeed the fragile bubble we surmise, and we must treat it with the reverence it deserves.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691233187
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's attempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit--and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe. According to Park, people long ago conceived of our world as a great rock slab inhabited by gods, devils, and people and crowned by stars. Thinkers imagined ether to fill the empty space, and in the comforting certainty of celestial movement they discerned numbers, and in numbers, order. Separate sections of the book tell the fascinating stories of measuring and mapping the Earth and Heavens, and later, the scientific exploration of the universe. The journey reveals many common threads stretching from ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to peoples of today. For example, humans have tended to imagine Earth and Sky as living creatures. Not true, say science-savvy moderns. But truth isn't always the point. The point, says Park, is that Earth is indeed the fragile bubble we surmise, and we must treat it with the reverence it deserves.
Turkish Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science
Author: G. Irzik
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9781402033322
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
As an academic discipline, the philosophy and history of science in Turkey was marked by two historical events: Hans Reichenbach's immigrating to Turkey and taking a post between 1933 and 1938 at Istanbul University prior to his tenure at UCLA, and Aydin Sayili's establishing a chair in the history of science in 1952 after having become the first student to receive a Ph.D. under George Sarton at Harvard University. Since then, both disciplines have flourished in Turkey. The present book, which contains seventeen newly commissioned articles, aims to give a rich overview of the current state of research by Turkish philosophers and historians of science. Topics covered address issues in methodology, causation, and reduction, and include philosophy of logic and physics, philosophy of psychology and language, and Ottoman science studies. The book also contains an unpublished interview with Maria Reichenbach, Hans Reichenbach's wife, which sheds new light on Reichenbach's academic and personal life in Istanbul and at UCLA.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9781402033322
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
As an academic discipline, the philosophy and history of science in Turkey was marked by two historical events: Hans Reichenbach's immigrating to Turkey and taking a post between 1933 and 1938 at Istanbul University prior to his tenure at UCLA, and Aydin Sayili's establishing a chair in the history of science in 1952 after having become the first student to receive a Ph.D. under George Sarton at Harvard University. Since then, both disciplines have flourished in Turkey. The present book, which contains seventeen newly commissioned articles, aims to give a rich overview of the current state of research by Turkish philosophers and historians of science. Topics covered address issues in methodology, causation, and reduction, and include philosophy of logic and physics, philosophy of psychology and language, and Ottoman science studies. The book also contains an unpublished interview with Maria Reichenbach, Hans Reichenbach's wife, which sheds new light on Reichenbach's academic and personal life in Istanbul and at UCLA.
Routledge Library Editions: Philosophy of Time
Author: Various Authors
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429685262
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 1519
Book Description
Reissuing five works originally published between 1937 and 1991, this collection contains books addressing the subject of time, from a mostly philosophic point of view but also of interest to those in the science and mathematics worlds. These texts are brought back into print in this small set of works addressing how we think about time, the history of the philosophy of time, the measurement of time, theories of relativity and discussions of the wider thinking about time and space, among other aspects. One volume is a thorough bibliography collating references on the subject of time across many disciplines.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429685262
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 1519
Book Description
Reissuing five works originally published between 1937 and 1991, this collection contains books addressing the subject of time, from a mostly philosophic point of view but also of interest to those in the science and mathematics worlds. These texts are brought back into print in this small set of works addressing how we think about time, the history of the philosophy of time, the measurement of time, theories of relativity and discussions of the wider thinking about time and space, among other aspects. One volume is a thorough bibliography collating references on the subject of time across many disciplines.
The Mathematica GuideBook for Symbolics
Author: Michael Trott
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387288155
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 1490
Book Description
Provides reader with working knowledge of Mathematica and key aspects of Mathematica symbolic capabilities, the real heart of Mathematica and the ingredient of the Mathematica software system that makes it so unique and powerful Clear organization, complete topic coverage, and an accessible writing style for both novices and experts Website for book with additional materials: http://www/MathematicaGuideBooks.org Accompanying DVD containing all materials as an electronic book with complete, executable Mathematica 5.1 compatible code and programs, rendered color graphics, and animations
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387288155
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 1490
Book Description
Provides reader with working knowledge of Mathematica and key aspects of Mathematica symbolic capabilities, the real heart of Mathematica and the ingredient of the Mathematica software system that makes it so unique and powerful Clear organization, complete topic coverage, and an accessible writing style for both novices and experts Website for book with additional materials: http://www/MathematicaGuideBooks.org Accompanying DVD containing all materials as an electronic book with complete, executable Mathematica 5.1 compatible code and programs, rendered color graphics, and animations
Introduction to Perturbation Methods
Author: Mark H. Holmes
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461454778
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 447
Book Description
This introductory graduate text is based on a graduate course the author has taught repeatedly over the last ten years to students in applied mathematics, engineering sciences, and physics. Each chapter begins with an introductory development involving ordinary differential equations, and goes on to cover such traditional topics as boundary layers and multiple scales. However, it also contains material arising from current research interest, including homogenisation, slender body theory, symbolic computing, and discrete equations. Many of the excellent exercises are derived from problems of up-to-date research and are drawn from a wide range of application areas. One hundred new pages added including new material on transcedentally small terms, Kummer's function, weakly coupled oscillators and wave interactions.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461454778
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 447
Book Description
This introductory graduate text is based on a graduate course the author has taught repeatedly over the last ten years to students in applied mathematics, engineering sciences, and physics. Each chapter begins with an introductory development involving ordinary differential equations, and goes on to cover such traditional topics as boundary layers and multiple scales. However, it also contains material arising from current research interest, including homogenisation, slender body theory, symbolic computing, and discrete equations. Many of the excellent exercises are derived from problems of up-to-date research and are drawn from a wide range of application areas. One hundred new pages added including new material on transcedentally small terms, Kummer's function, weakly coupled oscillators and wave interactions.
Principles Of Newtonian And Quantum Mechanics, The: The Need For Planck's Constant, H (Second Edition)
Author: Maurice A De Gosson
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9813200987
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 423
Book Description
The second edition of this book deals, as the first, with the foundations of classical physics from the 'symplectic' point of view, and of quantum mechanics from the 'metaplectic' point of view. We have revised and augmented the topics studied in the first edition in the light of new results, and added several new sections. The Bohmian interpretation of quantum mechanics is discussed in detail. Phase space quantization is achieved using the 'principle of the symplectic camel', which is a deep topological property of Hamiltonian flows. We introduce the notion of 'quantum blob', which can be viewed as the fundamental phase space unit. The mathematical tools developed in this book are the theory of the symplectic and metaplectic group, the Maslov index in a rigorous form, and the Leray index of a pair of Lagrangian planes. The concept of the 'metatron' is introduced, in connection with the Bohmian theory of motion. The short-time behavior of the propagator is studied and applied to the quantum Zeno effect.
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9813200987
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 423
Book Description
The second edition of this book deals, as the first, with the foundations of classical physics from the 'symplectic' point of view, and of quantum mechanics from the 'metaplectic' point of view. We have revised and augmented the topics studied in the first edition in the light of new results, and added several new sections. The Bohmian interpretation of quantum mechanics is discussed in detail. Phase space quantization is achieved using the 'principle of the symplectic camel', which is a deep topological property of Hamiltonian flows. We introduce the notion of 'quantum blob', which can be viewed as the fundamental phase space unit. The mathematical tools developed in this book are the theory of the symplectic and metaplectic group, the Maslov index in a rigorous form, and the Leray index of a pair of Lagrangian planes. The concept of the 'metatron' is introduced, in connection with the Bohmian theory of motion. The short-time behavior of the propagator is studied and applied to the quantum Zeno effect.