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Author: Olivier Darrigol
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192548344
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 639
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Book Description
One of the pillars of modern science, statistical mechanics, owes much to one man, the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906). As a result of his unusual working and writing styles, his enormous contribution remains little read and poorly understood. The purpose of this book is to make the Boltzmann corpus more accessible to physicists, philosophers, and historians, and so give it new life. The means are introductory biographical and historical materials, detailed and lucid summaries of every relevant publication, and a final chapter of critical synthesis. Special attention is given to Boltzmann's theoretical tool-box and to his patient construction of lofty formal systems even before their full conceptual import could be known. This constructive tendency largely accounts for his lengthy style, for the abundance of new constructions, for the relative vagueness of their object--and for the puzzlement of commentators. This book will help the reader cross the stylistic barrier and see how ingeniously Boltzmann combined atoms, mechanics, and probability to invent new bridges between the micro- and macro-worlds.
Author: Olivier Darrigol
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192548344
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 639
Get Book Here
Book Description
One of the pillars of modern science, statistical mechanics, owes much to one man, the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906). As a result of his unusual working and writing styles, his enormous contribution remains little read and poorly understood. The purpose of this book is to make the Boltzmann corpus more accessible to physicists, philosophers, and historians, and so give it new life. The means are introductory biographical and historical materials, detailed and lucid summaries of every relevant publication, and a final chapter of critical synthesis. Special attention is given to Boltzmann's theoretical tool-box and to his patient construction of lofty formal systems even before their full conceptual import could be known. This constructive tendency largely accounts for his lengthy style, for the abundance of new constructions, for the relative vagueness of their object--and for the puzzlement of commentators. This book will help the reader cross the stylistic barrier and see how ingeniously Boltzmann combined atoms, mechanics, and probability to invent new bridges between the micro- and macro-worlds.
Author: David Lindley
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501142674
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
In 1900 many eminent scientists did not believe atoms existed, yet within just a few years the atomic century launched into history with an astonishing string of breakthroughs in physics that began with Albert Einstein and continues to this day. Before this explosive growth into the modern age took place, an all-but-forgotten genius strove for forty years to win acceptance for the atomic theory of matter and an altogether new way of doing physics. Ludwig Boltz-mann battled with philosophers, the scientific establishment, and his own potent demons. His victory led the way to the greatest scientific achievements of the twentieth century. Now acclaimed science writer David Lindley portrays the dramatic story of Boltzmann and his embrace of the atom, while providing a window on the civilized world that gave birth to our scientific era. Boltzmann emerges as an endearingly quixotic character, passionately inspired by Beethoven, who muddled through the practical matters of life in a European gilded age. Boltzmann's story reaches from fin de siècle Vienna, across Germany and Britain, to America. As the Habsburg Empire was crumbling, Germany's intellectual might was growing; Edinburgh in Scotland was one of the most intellectually fertile places on earth; and, in America, brilliant independent minds were beginning to draw on the best ideas of the bureaucratized old world. Boltzmann's nemesis in the field of theoretical physics at home in Austria was Ernst Mach, noted today in the term Mach I, the speed of sound. Mach believed physics should address only that which could be directly observed. How could we know that frisky atoms jiggling about corresponded to heat if we couldn't see them? Why should we bother with theories that only told us what would probably happen, rather than making an absolute prediction? Mach and Boltzmann both believed in the power of science, but their approaches to physics could not have been more opposed. Boltzmann sought to explain the real world, and cast aside any philosophical criteria. Mach, along with many nineteenth-century scientists, wanted to construct an empirical edifice of absolute truths that obeyed strict philosophical rules. Boltzmann did not get on well with authority in any form, and he did his best work at arm's length from it. When at the end of his career he engaged with the philosophical authorities in the Viennese academy, the results were personally disastrous and tragic. Yet Boltzmann's enduring legacy lives on in the new physics and technology of our wired world. Lindley's elegant telling of this tale combines the detailed breadth of the best history, the beauty of theoretical physics, and the psychological insight belonging to the finest of novels.
Author: Ingolf V. Hertel
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642543227
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 710
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Book Description
This is the first volume of textbooks on atomic, molecular and optical physics, aiming at a comprehensive presentation of this highly productive branch of modern physics as an indispensable basis for many areas in physics and chemistry as well as in state of the art bio- and material-sciences. It primarily addresses advanced students (including PhD students), but in a number of selected subject areas the reader is lead up to the frontiers of present research. Thus even the active scientist is addressed. This volume 1 provides the canonical knowledge in atomic physics together with basics of modern spectroscopy. Starting from the fundamentals of quantum physics, the reader is familiarized in well structured chapters step by step with the most important phenomena, models and measuring techniques. The emphasis is always on the experiment and its interpretation, while the necessary theory is introduced from this perspective in a compact and occasionally somewhat heuristic manner, easy to follow even for beginners.
Author: C.V. Heer
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0323144411
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 619
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Book Description
Statistical Mechanics, Kinetic Theory, and Stochastic Processes presents the statistical aspects of physics as a "living and dynamic" subject. In order to provide an elementary introduction to kinetic theory, physical systems in which particle-particle interaction can be neglected are considered. Transport phenomena in the free-molecular flow region for gases and the transport of thermal radiation are discussed. Discrete random processes such as random walk, binomial and Poisson distributions, and throwing of dice are studied by means of the characteristic function. Comprised of 11 chapters, this book begins with an introduction to the mass point gas as well as some elementary properties of space and velocity distributions. The discussion then turns to radiation and its interaction with an atom; probability, statistics, and conditional probability; intermolecular interactions; transport phenomena; and statistical thermodynamics. Molecular systems at low densities are also considered, together with non-ideal and real gases; liquids and solids; and stochastic processes, noise, and fluctuations. In particular, the response of atoms and molecules to perturbations and scattering by crystals, liquids, and high-pressure gases are examined. This monograph will be useful for undergraduate students, practitioners, and researchers in physics.
Author: Sadri Hassani
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439808503
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 755
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Book Description
College students in the United States are becoming increasingly incapable of differentiating between proven facts delivered by scientific inquiry and the speculations of pseudoscience. In an effort to help stem this disturbing trend, From Atoms to Galaxies: A Conceptual Physics Approach to Scientific Awareness teaches heightened scientific acuity as it educates students about the physical world and gives them answers to questions large and small. Written by Sadri Hassani, the author of several mathematical physics textbooks, this work covers the essentials of modern physics, in a way that is as thorough as it is compelling and accessible. Some of you might want to know ... . . . How did Galileo come to think about the first law of motion? . . . Did Newton actually discover gravity by way of an apple and an accident? Or maybe you have mulled over... . . . Is it possible for Santa Claus to deliver all his toys? . . . Is it possible to prove that Elvis does not visit Graceland every midnight? Or perhaps you’ve even wondered ... . . . If ancient Taoism really parallels modern physics? . . . If psychoanalysis can actually be called a science? . . . How it is that some philosophies of science may imply that a 650-year-old woman can give birth to a child? No Advanced Mathematics Required A primary textbook for undergraduate students not majoring in physics, From Atoms to Galaxies examines physical laws and their consequences from a conceptual perspective that requires no advanced mathematics. It explains quantum physics, relativity, nuclear and particle physics, gauge theory, quantum field theory, quarks and leptons, and cosmology. Encouraging students to subscribe to proven causation rather than dramatic speculation, the book: Defines the often obscured difference between science and technology, discussing how this confusion taints both common culture and academic rigor Explores the various philosophies of science, demonstrating how errors in our understanding of scientific principles can adversely impact scientific awareness Exposes how pseudoscience and New Age mysticism advance unproven conjectures as dangerous alternatives to proven science Based on courses taught by the author for over 15 years, this textbook has been developed to raise the scientific awareness of the untrained reader who lacks a technical or mathematical background. To accomplish this, the book lays the foundation of the laws that govern our universe in a nontechnical way, emphasizing topics that excite the mind, namely those taken from modern physics, and exposing the abuses made of them by the New Age gurus and other mystagogues. It outlines the methods developed by physicists for the scientific investigation of nature, and contrasts them with those developed by the outsiders who claim to be the owners of scientific methodology. Each chapter includes essays, which use the material developed in that chapter to debunk misconceptions, clarify the nature of science, and explore the history of physics as it relates to the development of ideas. Noting the damage incurred by confusing science and technology, the book strives to help the reader to emphatically demarcate the two, while clearly demonstrating that science is the only element capable of advancing technology.
Author: Yemima Ben-Menahem
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642213286
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325
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Book Description
What is the role and meaning of probability in physical theory, in particular in two of the most successful theories of our age, quantum physics and statistical mechanics? Laws once conceived as universal and deterministic, such as Newton‘s laws of motion, or the second law of thermodynamics, are replaced in these theories by inherently probabilistic laws. This collection of essays by some of the world‘s foremost experts presents an in-depth analysis of the meaning of probability in contemporary physics. Among the questions addressed are: How are probabilities defined? Are they objective or subjective? What is their explanatory value? What are the differences between quantum and classical probabilities? The result is an informative and thought-provoking book for the scientifically inquisitive.
Author: Glen E Rodgers
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
ISBN: 1788015282
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 584
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Book Description
Traveling with the Atom is a historical travel guide to the development of one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of humankind: the atomic concept. This history covers the notable places and landmarks commemorating this achievement, visiting homesteads, graveyards, laboratories, apartments, abbeys and castles, through picturesque rural villages and working class municipalities. From Montreal to Manchester, via some of the most elegant and romantic cities in Europe, Traveling with the Atom guides the reader on a trip through the lives and minds of the great thinkers who collectively unveiled the mystery of the atom. Fully illustrated and interspersed with intriguing and insightful notes throughout, this book is an ideal companion for the wandering scientist, their students, friends and companions or quintessential fireside reading for lovers of science and travel.
Author: Mark P. Silverman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387954376
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 427
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Book Description
jThis thoroughly updated and revised text contains a selection of well-written essays based on Silvermans work on a wide range of topics, including: quantum mechanics, including atomic and nuclear physics, electromagnetism and optics, gravity, thermodynamics, and the physics of fluids. Presenting a personal odyssey in physics, Silverman investigates processes for which no visualizable mechanism can be given, or that seem to violate fundamental physical laws (but do not). The discussions use little mathematics, and anyone with a little college physics will be able to read the book with pleasure. -Engagingly written -Easily understandable by both the general reader and the seasoned physicist -Covers a diversity of subjects from "hot" topics in contemporary physics to less widely known but subtle and intriguing issues in physics -Discusses real physical systems whose behavior provokes, surprises and challenges the imagination -This second edition is newly revised and updated
Author: James Binney
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199688575
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 408
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Book Description
This title gives students a good understanding of how quantum mechanics describes the material world. The text stresses the continuity between the quantum world and the classical world, which is merely an approximation to the quantum world.
Author: P. C. W. Davies
Publisher: CUP Archive
ISBN: 9780521225236
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
A new edition of Paul Davies' very highly regarded text on high-energy particle physics aimed at the scientifically educated general reader.
