History and Evolution of Concepts in Physics

History and Evolution of Concepts in Physics
Author: Harry Varvoglis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2014-01-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319042920

Our understanding of nature, and in particular of physics and the laws governing it, has changed radically since the days of the ancient Greek natural philosophers. This book explains how and why these changes occurred, through landmark experiments as well as theories that - for their time - were revolutionary. The presentation covers Mechanics, Optics, Electromagnetism, Thermodynamics, Relativity Theory, Atomic Physics and Quantum Physics. The book places emphasis on ideas and on a qualitative presentation, rather than on mathematics and equations. Thus, although primarily addressed to those who are studying or have studied science, it can also be read by non-specialists. The author concludes with a discussion of the evolution and organization of universities, from ancient times until today, and of the organization and dissemination of knowledge through scientific publications and conferences.

Particle Or Wave

Particle Or Wave
Author: Charis Anastopoulos
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 444
Release: 2008
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780691135120

'Particle or Wave' explains the origins and development of modern physical concepts about matter and the controversies surrounding them.

Concepts of Force

Concepts of Force
Author: Max Jammer
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2012-07-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0486150569

This work by a noted physicist traces conceptual development from ancient to modern times. Kepler's initiation, Newton's definition, subsequent reinterpretation — contrasting concepts of Leibniz, Boscovich, Kant with those of Mach, Kirchhoff, Hertz. "An excellent presentation." — Science.

Concepts of Space

Concepts of Space
Author: Max Jammer
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2013-08-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0486166473

Historical surveys consider Judeo-Christian notions of space, Newtonian absolute space, perceptions from 18th century to the present, more. Numerous quotations and references. "Admirably compact and swiftly paced style." — Philosophy of Science.

Sidelights on Relativity

Sidelights on Relativity
Author: Albert Einstein
Publisher: DigiCat
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2022-08-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Sidelights on Relativity" by Albert Einstein. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

A Cultural History of Physics

A Cultural History of Physics
Author: Karoly Simonyi
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 644
Release: 2012-01-25
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1439865116

While the physical sciences are a continuously evolving source of technology and of understanding about our world, they have become so specialized and rely on so much prerequisite knowledge that for many people today the divide between the sciences and the humanities seems even greater than it was when C. P. Snow delivered his famous 1959 lecture,

Basic Concepts in Physics

Basic Concepts in Physics
Author: Masud Chaichian
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2021-05-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662623137

This book is the second edition of an excellent undergraduate-level overview of classical and modern physics, intended for students of physics and related subjects, and also perfectly suited for the education of physics teachers. The twelve-chapter book begins with Newton’s laws of motion and subsequently covers topics such as thermodynamics and statistical physics, electrodynamics, special and general relativity, quantum mechanics and cosmology , the standard model and quantum chromodynamics. The writing is lucid, and the theoretical discussions are easy to follow for anyone comfortable with standard mathematics. An important addition in this second edition is a set of exercises and problems, distributed throughout the book. Some of the problems aim to complement the text, others to provide readers with additional useful tools for tackling new or more advanced topics. Furthermore, new topics have been added in several chapters; for example, the discovery of extra-solar planets from the wobble of their mother stars, a discussion of the Landauer principle relating information erasure to an increase of entropy, quantum logic, first order quantum corrections to the ideal gas equation of state due to the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics. Both gravitational lensing and the time-correction in geo-positioning satellites are explained as theoretical applications of special and general relativity. The discovery of gravitational waves, one of the most important achievements of physical sciences, is presented as well. Professional scientists, teachers, and researchers will also want to have this book on their bookshelves, as it provides an excellent refresher on a wide range of topics and serves as an ideal starting point for expanding one’s knowledge of new or unfamiliar fields. Readers of this book will not only learn much about physics, they will also learn to love it.

Galileo Unbound

Galileo Unbound
Author: David D. Nolte
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2018-07-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0192528505

Galileo Unbound traces the journey that brought us from Galileo's law of free fall to today's geneticists measuring evolutionary drift, entangled quantum particles moving among many worlds, and our lives as trajectories traversing a health space with thousands of dimensions. Remarkably, common themes persist that predict the evolution of species as readily as the orbits of planets or the collapse of stars into black holes. This book tells the history of spaces of expanding dimension and increasing abstraction and how they continue today to give new insight into the physics of complex systems. Galileo published the first modern law of motion, the Law of Fall, that was ideal and simple, laying the foundation upon which Newton built the first theory of dynamics. Early in the twentieth century, geometry became the cause of motion rather than the result when Einstein envisioned the fabric of space-time warped by mass and energy, forcing light rays to bend past the Sun. Possibly more radical was Feynman's dilemma of quantum particles taking all paths at once — setting the stage for the modern fields of quantum field theory and quantum computing. Yet as concepts of motion have evolved, one thing has remained constant, the need to track ever more complex changes and to capture their essence, to find patterns in the chaos as we try to predict and control our world.

Forces in Physics

Forces in Physics
Author: Steven N. Shore
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2008-07-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0313038635

Force is one of the most elementary concepts that must be understood in order to understand modern science; it is discussed extensively in textbooks at all levels and is a requirement in most science guidelines. It is also one of the most challenging - how could one idea be involved in such disparate physical phenomena as gravity and radioactivity? Forces in Physics helps the science student by explaining how these ideas originally were developed and provides context to the stunning conclusions that scientists over the centuries have arrived at. It covers the history of all of the four traditional fundamental forces - gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force - and shows how these forces have, over the years, allowed physicists to better understand the nature of the physical world. Forces in Physics: A Historical Perspective traces the evolution of the concept from the earliest days of the Ancient Greeks to the contemporary attempt to form a GUT (Grand Unified Theory): Aristotle and others in Ancient Greece who developed ideas about physical laws and the introduction of forces into nature; Newton and others in the Scientific Revolution who discovered that forces like gravity applied throughout the universe; the 19th century examinations of thermodynamics and the forces of the very small; and 20th century developments—relativity, quantum mechanics, and more advanced physics—that revolutionized the way we understand force. The volume includes a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, and a bibliography of resources useful for further research.