What Spacetime Explains

What Spacetime Explains PDF Author: Graham Nerlich
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521452619
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
Eleven of Graham Nerlich's essays are here brought together dealing with ontology and methodology in relativity; variable curvature and general relativity; and time and causation.

What Spacetime Explains

What Spacetime Explains PDF Author: Graham Nerlich
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521452619
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
Eleven of Graham Nerlich's essays are here brought together dealing with ontology and methodology in relativity; variable curvature and general relativity; and time and causation.

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

Space, Time, and Spacetime

Space, Time, and Spacetime PDF Author: Vesselin Petkov
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642135382
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's discovery of spacetime, this volume contains papers, most presented at the Third International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime, that address some of the deepest questions in physics.

The Curvature of Spacetime

The Curvature of Spacetime PDF Author: Harald Fritzsch
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780231118200
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
The internationally renowned physicist Harald Fritzsch deftly explains the meaning and far-flung implications of the general theory of relativity and other mysteries of modern physics by presenting an imaginary conversation among Newton, Einstein, and a fictitious contemporary particle physicist named Adrian Haller. In this entertaining and involving account of relativity, Newton serves as the skeptic and asks the questions a modern reader might ask. Einstein himself does the explaining, while Haller explains the new developments that have occurred since the general theory was proposed.

Flat and Curved Space-times

Flat and Curved Space-times PDF Author: George Francis Rayner Ellis
Publisher: Clarendon Press
ISBN: 9780198506560
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
This text explains special relativity and the basics of general relativity from a geometric viewpoint. Space-time geometry is emphasised throughout, and up-to-date information is provided on black holes, gravitational collapse, and cosmology.

Einstein's Genie

Einstein's Genie PDF Author: Graham Nerlich
Publisher: Minkowski Institute Press
ISBN: 1927763142
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
This book is about spacetime, and how, in General Relativity, it performs its widely accepted role of explaining all the phenomena of gravity. Space and time have long been contentious presences in theories of mechanics because of their metaphysical peculiarities. Philosophical worries continue to fog a clear understanding of just how spacetime performs this role. In early sections of his revolutionary paper of 1916, Einstein claimed that his use of a new style of formulation removes "the last remnant of physical objectivity from space and time". His satisfaction in banishing these metaphysical anxieties was evident. However in 1917 it was shown his claim was ungrounded. He readily accepted the criticism: it left intact all the maths and physics of the theory. These amply justify the widespread, orthodox view of spacetime's fundamental role in the theory. Einstein banished no demon but rather released a genie - spacetime. However, his hostility continued, resulting in attempts to rewrite the role of spacetime. These had some later influence but never caught on. Einstein set supreme importance on the role of imagination in scientific theory and valued it as his most significant gift. In science, perhaps in culture generally, relativity is unsurpassed in its imaginative conceptual daring. Yet he and others paused at its metaphysical novelty and radicalism: hostility to spacetime persists. This book presents an unqualified philosophical defence of the conceptual coherence and uniqueness of spatiotemporality. It offers an alternative to the relationist/substantivalist dilemma; it explains Minkowski's derivation of spacetime without the light postulate; it defends, clarifies and stresses the deep role of spacetime in the standard novelties of both relativity theories. A study of spacetime in relativity shows how an insubstantial entity can nevertheless be concrete. That solves the metaphysical worry over its intelligibility and reveals it as fundamental to ontology.

Ripples in Spacetime

Ripples in Spacetime PDF Author: Govert Schilling
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674971663
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
A spacetime appetizer -- Relatively speaking -- Einstein on trial -- Wave talk and bar fights -- The lives of stars -- Clockwork precision -- Laser quest -- The path to perfection -- Creation stories -- Cold case -- Gotcha -- Black magic -- Nanoscience -- Follow-up questions -- Space invaders -- Surf's up for Einstein wave astronomy

The Order of Time

The Order of Time PDF Author: Carlo Rovelli
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735216118
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
One of TIME’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade "Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book." --The Sunday Times From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems, Helgoland, and Anaximander comes a concise, elegant exploration of time. Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to "flow"? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. For most readers this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. He explains how the theory of quantum gravity attempts to understand and give meaning to the resulting extreme landscape of this timeless world. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions than from the physical universe. Already a bestseller in Italy, and written with the poetic vitality that made Seven Brief Lessons on Physics so appealing, The Order of Time offers a profoundly intelligent, culturally rich, novel appreciation of the mysteries of time.

Relativity for Everyone

Relativity for Everyone PDF Author: Kurt Fischer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319005871
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 135

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Book Description
This book explains the theory of special and general relativity in detail, without digressions such as information on Einstein's life or the historical background. However, complicated calculations are replaced with figures and thought experiments, the text being formulated in such a way that the reader will be able to understand the gist intuitively. The first part of the book focuses on the essentials of special relativity. Explanations are provided of the famous equivalence between mass and energy and of why Einstein was able to use the theory of electrodynamics as a template for his "electrodynamics of moving bodies", simply because besides the speed of light, the electric charge itself is also absolute, leading to the relativity of other physical quantities. General relativity is then introduced, mainly with the help of thought experiments. Reference is made to the previously introduced special relativity and the equivalence principle and, using many figures, it is explained how space-time is bending under gravity. The climax of the book comes with the Einstein equations of gravity that describe the way in which matter bends space-time. The reader is shown how to obtain the famous Schwarzschild solution. There follows a numerically correct and yet intuitive explanation of the classic effects such as light bending or the movement of the perihelion. The book concludes by explaining the Friedmann model of the big bang and why the theory of gravity does not fit with quantum theory.

The Tenseless Theory of Time

The Tenseless Theory of Time PDF Author: W.L. Craig
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401734739
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
he present book and its companion volume The Tensed Theory of Time: a T Critical Examination are an attempt to adjudicate what one recent discussant has called "the most fundamental question in the philosophy of time," namely, "whether a static or a dynamic conception ofthe world is correct. "] I had originally intended to treat this question in the space of a single volume; but the study swelled into two. I found that an adequate appraisal of these two competing theories of time requires a wide-ranging discussion of issues in metaphysics, philosophy of language, phenomenology, philosophy of science, philosophy of space and time, and even philosophy of religion, and that this simply could not be done in one volume. If these volumes succeed in making a contribution to the debate, it will be precisely because of the synoptic nature of the discussion therein. Too often the question of the nature of time has been prematurely answered by some philosopher or physicist simply because he is largely ignorant of relevant discussions outside his chosen field of expertise. In these two complementary but independent volumes I have attempted to appraise what I take to be the most important arguments drawn from a variety of fields for and against each theory of time.