Why More Is Different

Why More Is Different PDF Author: Brigitte Falkenburg
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3662439115
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 283

Get Book Here

Book Description
The physics of condensed matter, in contrast to quantum physics or cosmology, is not traditionally associated with deep philosophical questions. However, as science - largely thanks to more powerful computers - becomes capable of analysing and modelling ever more complex many-body systems, basic questions of philosophical relevance arise. Questions about the emergence of structure, the nature of cooperative behaviour, the implications of the second law, the quantum-classical transition and many other issues. This book is a collection of essays by leading physicists and philosophers. Each investigates one or more of these issues, making use of examples from modern condensed matter research. Physicists and philosophers alike will find surprising and stimulating ideas in these pages.

Why More Is Different

Why More Is Different PDF Author: Brigitte Falkenburg
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3662439115
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 283

Get Book Here

Book Description
The physics of condensed matter, in contrast to quantum physics or cosmology, is not traditionally associated with deep philosophical questions. However, as science - largely thanks to more powerful computers - becomes capable of analysing and modelling ever more complex many-body systems, basic questions of philosophical relevance arise. Questions about the emergence of structure, the nature of cooperative behaviour, the implications of the second law, the quantum-classical transition and many other issues. This book is a collection of essays by leading physicists and philosophers. Each investigates one or more of these issues, making use of examples from modern condensed matter research. Physicists and philosophers alike will find surprising and stimulating ideas in these pages.

More is Different

More is Different PDF Author: Nai-Phuan Ong
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691088662
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book presents articles written by leading experts surveying several major subfields in Condensed Matter Physics and related sciences. The articles are based on invited talks presented at a recent conference honoring Nobel laureate Philip W. Anderson of Princeton University, who coined the phrase "More is different" while formulating his contention that all fields of physics, indeed all of science, involve equally fundamental insights. The articles introduce and survey current research in areas that have been close to Anderson's interests. Together, they illustrate both the deep impact that Anderson has had in this multifaceted field during the past half century and the progress spawned by his insights. The contributors cover numerous topics under the umbrellas of superconductivity, superfluidity, magnetism, electron localization, strongly interacting electronic systems, heavy fermions, and disorder and frustration in glass and spin-glass systems. They also describe interdisciplinary areas such as the science of olfaction and color vision, the screening of macroions in electrolytes, scaling and renormalization in cosmology, forest fires and the spread of measles, and the investigation of "NP-complete" problems in computer science. The articles are authored by Philip W. Anderson, Per Bak and Kan Chen, G. Baskaran, Juan Carlos Campuzano, Paul Chaikin, John Hopfield, Bernhard Keimer, Scott Kirkpatrick and Bart Selman, Gabriel Kotliar, Patrick Lee, Yoshiteru Maeno, Marc Mezard, Douglas Osheroff et al., H. R. Ott, L. Pietronero et al., T. V. Ramakrishnan, A. Ramirez, Myriam Sarachik, T. Senthil and Matthew P. A. Fisher, B. I. Shklovskii et al., and F. Steglich et al.

More and Different

More and Different PDF Author: Philip W. Anderson
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814350141
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 423

Get Book Here

Book Description
I. Personal reminiscences. Introduction. "BCS" and me. A mile of dirty lead wire: a fable for the scientifically literate. Scientific and personal reminiscences of Ryogo Kubo -- II. History. Introduction. Physics at Bell Labs, 1949-1984: young Turks and younger Turks. It's not over till the fat lady sings. Reflections on twentieth century physics: historical overview of the 20t century in Physics. 21st century Physics. Y. Nambu and broken symmetry. Nevill Mott, John Slater, and the "magnetic state": winning the prize and losing the PR battle -- III. Philosophy and sociology. Introduction. Emergence vs. reductionism. Is the theory of everything the theory of anything? Is measurement itself an emergent property? Good news and bad news. The future lies ahead. Could modern America have invented wave mechanics?. Loose ends and Gordian knots of the string cult. Imaginary friend, who art in heaven -- IV. Science tactics and strategy. Introduction. Solid state experimentalists: theory should be on tap, not on top. Shadows of doubt. The Reverend Thomas Bayes, needles in haystacks, and the fifth force. Emerging physics. On the nature of physical laws. On the "unreasonable efficacy of mathematics"--A proposition by Wigner. When scientists go astray. Further investigations -- V. Genius. Introduction. What mad pursuit. Complexities of Feynman coffee-table complexities. Search for polymath's elementary particles. Giant who started the silicon age. The quiet man of physics. A theoretical physicist. Some thoughtful words (not mine) on research strategy for theorists -- VI. Science wars. Introduction. They think it's all over. Science: a 'dappled world' or a 'seamless web'? Reply to Cartwright. Postmodernism, politics and religion -- VII. Politics and science. Introduction. Politics and science. The case against Star Wars. A dialogue about Star Wars. No facts, just the right answers -- VIII. Futurology. Introduction. Futurology. Dizzy with future Schlock. Einstein and the p-branes. Forecaster fails to detect any clouds -- IX. Complexity. Introduction. Physics: the opening to complexity. Is complexity physics? Is it science? What is it? Complexity II: the Santa Fe Institute. Whole truths false in part -- X. Popularization attempts. Introduction. Who or what is RVB? More on RVB. Brainwashed by Feynman? Just exactly what do you do, Dr. Anderson? What is a condensed matter theorist? Global economy II: or, how do you follow a great act?

Why Am I Different?

Why Am I Different? PDF Author: Norma Simon
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN: 0807593648
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 35

Get Book Here

Book Description
Portrays everyday situations in which children see themselves as "different" in family life, preferences, and aptitudes, and yet, feel that being different is all right.

Beyond Weird

Beyond Weird PDF Author: Philip Ball
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022655838X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 382

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.” Since Niels Bohr said this many years ago, quantum mechanics has only been getting more shocking. We now realize that it’s not really telling us that “weird” things happen out of sight, on the tiniest level, in the atomic world: rather, everything is quantum. But if quantum mechanics is correct, what seems obvious and right in our everyday world is built on foundations that don’t seem obvious or right at all—or even possible. An exhilarating tour of the contemporary quantum landscape, Beyond Weird is a book about what quantum physics really means—and what it doesn’t. Science writer Philip Ball offers an up-to-date, accessible account of the quest to come to grips with the most fundamental theory of physical reality, and to explain how its counterintuitive principles underpin the world we experience. Over the past decade it has become clear that quantum physics is less a theory about particles and waves, uncertainty and fuzziness, than a theory about information and knowledge—about what can be known, and how we can know it. Discoveries and experiments over the past few decades have called into question the meanings and limits of space and time, cause and effect, and, ultimately, of knowledge itself. The quantum world Ball shows us isn’t a different world. It is our world, and if anything deserves to be called “weird,” it’s us.

The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice PDF Author: Barry Schwartz
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061748994
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Get Book Here

Book Description
Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

A Mind Over Matter

A Mind Over Matter PDF Author: Andrew Zangwill
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019886910X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 412

Get Book Here

Book Description
A Mind Over Matter is a biography of the Nobel-prize winner Philip W. Anderson, a person widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential physicists of the second half of the twentieth century. Anderson (1923-2020) was a theoretician who specialized in the physics of matter, including window glass and metals, magnets and semiconductors, liquid crystals and superconductors. More than any other single person, Anderson transformed the patchwork subject of solid-state physics into the deep, subtle, and coherent discipline known today as condensed matter physics. Among his many world-class research achievements, Anderson discovered an aspect of wave physics that had been missed by all previous scientists going back to Isaac Newton. He became a public figure when he testified before Congress to oppose its funding of an expensive project intended exclusively for particle physics research. Over the years, he published many articles designed to influence a broad audience about issues where science impacted public policy and culture. Anderson grew up in the American mid-west, was educated at Harvard, and rose to the pinnacle of his profession during the first decade of his thirty-five career as a theoretical physicist at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Almost uniquely, he spent many years working half-time as a professor at the University of Cambridge and at Princeton University. The outspoken Anderson enjoyed broad influence outside of physics when he helped develop and champion the concepts of emergence and complexity as organizing principles to help attack very difficult problems in technically challenging disciplines.

More is Different

More is Different PDF Author: Nai-Phuan Ong
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691219532
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 366

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book presents articles written by leading experts surveying several major subfields in Condensed Matter Physics and related sciences. The articles are based on invited talks presented at a recent conference honoring Nobel laureate Philip W. Anderson of Princeton University, who coined the phrase "More is different" while formulating his contention that all fields of physics, indeed all of science, involve equally fundamental insights. The articles introduce and survey current research in areas that have been close to Anderson's interests. Together, they illustrate both the deep impact that Anderson has had in this multifaceted field during the past half century and the progress spawned by his insights. The contributors cover numerous topics under the umbrellas of superconductivity, superfluidity, magnetism, electron localization, strongly interacting electronic systems, heavy fermions, and disorder and frustration in glass and spin-glass systems. They also describe interdisciplinary areas such as the science of olfaction and color vision, the screening of macroions in electrolytes, scaling and renormalization in cosmology, forest fires and the spread of measles, and the investigation of "NP-complete" problems in computer science. The articles are authored by Philip W. Anderson, Per Bak and Kan Chen, G. Baskaran, Juan Carlos Campuzano, Paul Chaikin, John Hopfield, Bernhard Keimer, Scott Kirkpatrick and Bart Selman, Gabriel Kotliar, Patrick Lee, Yoshiteru Maeno, Marc Mezard, Douglas Osheroff et al., H. R. Ott, L. Pietronero et al., T. V. Ramakrishnan, A. Ramirez, Myriam Sarachik, T. Senthil and Matthew P. A. Fisher, B. I. Shklovskii et al., and F. Steglich et al.

This Time Is Different

This Time Is Different PDF Author: Carmen M. Reinhart
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691152640
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 513

Get Book Here

Book Description
An empirical investigation of financial crises during the last 800 years.

Concepts in Solids

Concepts in Solids PDF Author: Philip W. Anderson
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9789810232313
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Get Book Here

Book Description
These lecture notes constitute a course on a number of central concepts of solid state physics ? classification of solids, band theory, the developments in one-electron band theory in the presence of perturbation, effective Hamiltonian theory, elementary excitations and the various types of collective elementary excitation (excitons, spin waves and phonons), the Fermi liquid, ferromagnetic spin waves, antiferromagnetic spin waves and the theory of broken symmetry.The book can be used in conjunction with a survey course in solid state physics, or as the basis of a first graduate-level course. It can be read by anyone who has had basic grounding in quantum mechanics.