A Short History of Physics in the American Century

A Short History of Physics in the American Century
Author: David C. Cassidy
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2013-09-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674725824

As the twentieth century ended, computers, the Internet, and nanotechnology were central to modern American life. Yet the physical advances underlying these applications are poorly understood and underappreciated by U.S. citizens. In this overview, Cassidy views physics through America's engagement with the political events of a tumultuous century.

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,

Physical Sciences and History of Physics

Physical Sciences and History of Physics
Author: Robert S. Cohen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400971788

These essays on the conceptual understanding of modern physics strike directly at some of the principal difficulties faced by contemporary philos ophers of physical science. Moreover, they reverberate to earlier and classical struggles with those difficulties. Each of these essays may be seen as both a commentary on our predecessors and an original analytic interpretation. They come from work of the past decade, most from meetings of the Boston Colloquium for the Philosophy of Science, and they demonstrate again how problematic the fundamentals of our understanding of nature still are. The themes will seem to be familiar but the variations are not only ingenious but also stimulating, in some ways counterpoint. And so once again we are confronted with issues of space and time, irreversibility and measurement, matter and process, hypothetical reality and verifiability, explanation and reduction, phenomenal base and sophisticated theory, unified science and the unity of nature, and the limits of conventionalism. We are grateful for the cooperation of our contributors, and in particular for the agreement of George Ellis and C. F. von Weizsiicker to allow us to use previously published papers.

The History of Physics

The History of Physics
Author: Howard T. Milhorn
Publisher: Virtualbookworm Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781602642027

The history of physics ranges from antiquity to modern string theory. Since early times, human beings have sought to understand the workings of nature--why unsupported objects drop to the ground, why different materials have different properties, and so forth. The emergence of physics as a science, distinct from natural philosophy, began with the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries when the scientific method came into vogue. Speculation was no longer acceptable; research was required. The beginning of the 20th century marks the start of a more modern physics. Physicists began to study the atom, with its electrons and its nucleus. Then they began to look at the fundamental question of the forces that hold the nucleus together and the particles that account for the natural forces. This book approaches the history of physics from a biographical point of view, considering people to be more interesting than things, and the combination of the two more interesting than the sum of the individual parts. After a brief overview of classical and modern physics, 336 one-page biographies of individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of physics are presented.

Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences, Volume 5

Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences, Volume 5
Author: Russell McCormmach
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2015-03-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1400870178

Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences is a continuing series of volumes comprising articles that elucidate the intellectual and social history of the physical sciences from the eighteenth century to the present. The articles offered in Volume 5 share a common theme: a concern with modern physics and its relation to other scientific disciplines and to its cultural and material context. Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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.

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics
Author: Jed Z. Buchwald
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 956
Release: 2013-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 019969625X

Presents a history of physics, examining the theories and experimental practices of the science.

Between The Earth And The Heavens: Historical Studies In The Physical Sciences

Between The Earth And The Heavens: Historical Studies In The Physical Sciences
Author: Helge Kragh
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2021-03-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1786349868

Consisting of separate cases organized by chapter and divided into independent sections, this is no ordinary history of science book. Between the Earth and the Heavens is an episodic history of modern physical sciences covering the chronological development of physics, chemistry and astronomy since about 1860. Integrating historical authenticity and modern scientific knowledge, the cases within deal with the often surprising connections between science done in the laboratory (physics, chemistry) and science based on observation (astronomy, cosmology).Between the Earth and the Heavens presupposes an interest in and a certain knowledge of the physical sciences, but it is written for non-specialists and includes only a limited number of equations which are all clearly explained in simple terms. For readers who wish to delve further, the book is fully documented and ends with a bibliography of cited quotations and other relevant sources.