The Philosophy of Vacuum

The Philosophy of Vacuum PDF Author: Assistant Professor of Philosophy Simon Saunders
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 9780198244493
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
* Contains a hitherto untranslated paper by Einstein.The vacuum is fast emerging as the central structure of modern physics. How is this possible? What is the vacuum concept, and why is it so important? This collection brings together philosophically-minded specialists who engage these issues in the context of classical gravity, quantumelectrodynamics, and the grand unification programme. The vacuum emerges as the synthesis of concepts of space, time, and matter; in the context of relativity and the quantum this new synthesis represents a structure of the most intricate and novel complexity. The Philosophy of Vacuum is unashamedly a project in metaphysics. The science of our time has transformed the concepts of space and time and of force and matter, yet the philosophy of Bohr and his school has found small purchase on the contemporary concerns of physics, and there are few guidelinesto be found within the empiricist tradition of contemporary philosophy. However slippery the conundrums of metaphysical realism, the message of contemporary science remains the same: concepts and heuristics are grounded in consideration of what exists in the world. Here, then, is a work in modernmetaphysics, in which the concepts of substance and space interweave in the most intangible of forms, the background and context of our physical experience: vacuum, void or nothingness.

The Philosophy of Vacuum

The Philosophy of Vacuum PDF Author: Assistant Professor of Philosophy Simon Saunders
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 9780198244493
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 291

Get Book Here

Book Description
* Contains a hitherto untranslated paper by Einstein.The vacuum is fast emerging as the central structure of modern physics. How is this possible? What is the vacuum concept, and why is it so important? This collection brings together philosophically-minded specialists who engage these issues in the context of classical gravity, quantumelectrodynamics, and the grand unification programme. The vacuum emerges as the synthesis of concepts of space, time, and matter; in the context of relativity and the quantum this new synthesis represents a structure of the most intricate and novel complexity. The Philosophy of Vacuum is unashamedly a project in metaphysics. The science of our time has transformed the concepts of space and time and of force and matter, yet the philosophy of Bohr and his school has found small purchase on the contemporary concerns of physics, and there are few guidelinesto be found within the empiricist tradition of contemporary philosophy. However slippery the conundrums of metaphysical realism, the message of contemporary science remains the same: concepts and heuristics are grounded in consideration of what exists in the world. Here, then, is a work in modernmetaphysics, in which the concepts of substance and space interweave in the most intangible of forms, the background and context of our physical experience: vacuum, void or nothingness.

The Quantum Vacuum

The Quantum Vacuum PDF Author: Luciano Boi
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421402475
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
A vacuum, classically understood, contains nothing. The quantum vacuum, on the other hand, is a seething cauldron of nothingness: particle pairs going in and out of existence continuously and rapidly while exerting influence over an enormous range of scales. Acclaimed mathematical physicist and natural philosopher Luciano Boi expounds the quantum vacuum, exploring the meaning of nothingness and its relationship with physical reality. Boi first provides a deep analysis of the interaction between geometry and physics at the quantum level. He next describes the relationship between the microscopic and macroscopic structures of the world. In so doing, Boi sheds light on the very nature of the universe, stressing in an original and profound way the relationship between quantum geometry and the internal symmetries underlying the behavior of matter and the interactions of forces. Beyond the physics and mathematics of the quantum vacuum, Boi offers a profoundly philosophical interpretation of the concept. Plato and Aristotle did not believe a vacuum was possible. How could nothing be something, they asked? Boi traces the evolution of the quantum vacuum from an abstract concept in ancient Greece to its fundamental role in quantum field theory and string theory in modern times. The quantum vacuum is a complex entity, one essential to understanding some of the most intriguing issues in twentieth-century physics, including cosmic singularity, dark matter and energy, and the existence of the Higgs boson particle. Boi explains with simple clarity the relevant theories and fundamental concepts of the quantum vacuum. Theoretical, mathematical, and particle physicists, as well as researchers and students of the history and philosophy of physics, will find The Quantum Vacuum to be a stimulating and engaging primer on the topic.

Philosophy of Physics

Philosophy of Physics PDF Author: Tim Maudlin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691165718
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
Philosophical foundations of the physics of space-time This concise book introduces nonphysicists to the core philosophical issues surrounding the nature and structure of space and time, and is also an ideal resource for physicists interested in the conceptual foundations of space-time theory. Tim Maudlin's broad historical overview examines Aristotelian and Newtonian accounts of space and time, and traces how Galileo's conceptions of relativity and space-time led to Einstein's special and general theories of relativity. Maudlin explains special relativity with enough detail to solve concrete physical problems while presenting general relativity in more qualitative terms. Additional topics include the Twins Paradox, the physical aspects of the Lorentz-FitzGerald contraction, the constancy of the speed of light, time travel, the direction of time, and more. Introduces nonphysicists to the philosophical foundations of space-time theory Provides a broad historical overview, from Aristotle to Einstein Explains special relativity geometrically, emphasizing the intrinsic structure of space-time Covers the Twins Paradox, Galilean relativity, time travel, and more Requires only basic algebra and no formal knowledge of physics

The Structured Vacuum

The Structured Vacuum PDF Author: Johann Rafelski
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description


Much Ado about Nothing

Much Ado about Nothing PDF Author: Edward Grant
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521229839
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
Provides a description of the major ideas about void space within and beyond the world that were formulated between the fourteenth and early eighteenth centuries.

The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon

The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon PDF Author: Lawrence Nolan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316380939
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 1642

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Book Description
The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon is the definitive reference source on René Descartes, 'the father of modern philosophy' and arguably among the most important philosophers of all time. Examining the full range of Descartes' achievements and legacy, it includes 256 in-depth entries that explain key concepts relating to his thought. Cumulatively they uncover interpretative disputes, trace his influences, and explain how his work was received by critics and developed by followers. There are entries on topics such as certainty, cogito ergo sum, doubt, dualism, free will, God, geometry, happiness, human being, knowledge, Meditations on First Philosophy, mind, passion, physics, and virtue, which are written by the largest and most distinguished team of Cartesian scholars ever assembled for a collaborative research project - 92 contributors from ten countries.

A Perfect Vacuum

A Perfect Vacuum PDF Author: Stanisław Lem
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
ISBN: 9780810117334
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
"In a perfect vacuum, Stanislaw Lem presents a collection of book reviews of nonexistent works of literature - works that, in many cases, could not possibly be written. Embracing postmodernism's "games for games' sake" ethos, Lem joins the contest with hilarious and grotesque results." "Most of the "reviews" target the postmodern infatuation with antinarratives by lampooning their self-indulgence and exploiting their mannerisms. Lem exposes the limits of postmodern fiction, showing how its studious self-consciousness frequently conceals intellectual paucity. Beginning with a review of his own book, Lem moves on to tackle (or create pastiches of) the French new novel, James Joyce, pornography, authorless writing, and Dostoevsky, while at the same time ranging across scientific topics, from cosmology to the pervasiveness of computers." --Book Jacket.

Mechanics and Physics of Precise Vacuum Mechanisms

Mechanics and Physics of Precise Vacuum Mechanisms PDF Author: E. A. Deulin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9048125200
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
In this book the Russian expertise in the field of the design of precise vacuum mechanics is summarized. A wide range of physical applications of mechanism design in electronic, optical-electronic, chemical, and aerospace industries is presented in a comprehensible way. Topics treated include the method of microparticles flow regulation and its determination in vacuum equipment and mechanisms of electronics; precise mechanisms of nanoscale precision based on magnetic and electric rheology; precise harmonic rotary and not-coaxial nut-screw linear motion vacuum feedthroughs with technical parameters considered the best in the world; elastically deformed vacuum motion feedthroughs without friction couples usage; the computer system of vacuum mechanisms failure predicting. This English edition incorporates a number of features which should improve its usefulness as a textbook without changing the basic organization or the general philosophy of presentation of the subject matter of the original Russian work. Experience at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University and other schools shows that the book will be useful to engineering students who wish to prepare for more advanced studies and applications of vacuum science, technology and its applications.

The Weight of the Vacuum

The Weight of the Vacuum PDF Author: Helge S. Kragh
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783642550898
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the discovery of cosmic acceleration due to dark energy, a discovery that is all the more perplexing as nobody knows what dark energy actually is. We put the modern concept of cosmological vacuum energy into historical context and show how it grew out of disparate roots in quantum mechanics (zero-point energy) and relativity theory (the cosmological constant, Einstein's “greatest blunder”). These two influences have remained strangely aloof and still co-exist in an uneasy alliance that is at the heart of the greatest crisis in theoretical physics, the cosmological-constant problem.

Demystifying the Akasha

Demystifying the Akasha PDF Author: Ralph Abraham
Publisher: Epigraph Publishing
ISBN: 9780982644157
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Book Description Demystifying the Akasha: Consciousness and the Quantum Vacuum Duality, including the spiritual/material and mind/body dichotomies, has been the basis of the Western paradigm for four hundred years, and has been blamed for major world problems. Meanwhile, in the East, nonduality has prevailed. While science is generally seen in opposition to nonduality, this book sets out to prove the compatibility of the scientifi c outlook and the spiritual nonduality of India by constructing a mathematical model of cosmic consciousness. The ideas and their history are presented non technically in Part One, while the full mathematical details are presented in Part Two. Ralph Abraham is Professor of Mathematics at the University of California at Santa Cruz, one of the pioneers of chaos theory. He is the author or coauthor of several math texts, including Foundations of Mechanics, Dynamics the Geometry of Behavior, and Chaos in Discrete Dynamical Systems. He has also written books on the history of math, philosophy, and the arts, such as Chaos, Creativity, and Cosmic Consciousness and The Evolutionary Mind. Sisir Roy is Professor of Theoretical Physics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. His field of interest covers foundations of quantum mechanics, cosmology, functional geometry and brain function. He has published more than 100 papers in peer reviewed international journals and nine research and edited monographs by Kluwer Academic, World Scientific etc. publishers. Praise for Demystifying the Akasha: Consciousness and the Quantum Vacuum "A key contribution to bringing the concept of the Akasha into the ambit of contemporary science, and relating it to our understanding of consciousness. A book for all serious students of cosmos and consciousness." --Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Author of Science and the Akashic Field