Download or read book The Physical Universe written by Frank Shu and published by University Science Books. This book was released on 1982 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is a truly astonishing book, invaluable for anyone with an interest in astronomy." Physics Bulletin "Just the thing for a first year university science course." Nature "This is a beautiful book in both concept and execution." Sky & Telescope

Download or read book How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe written by John R. Anderson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-08-28 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The question for me is how can the human mind occur in the physical universe. We now know that the world is governed by physics. We now understand the way biology nestles comfortably within that. The issue is how will the mind do that as well."--Allen Newell, December 4, 1991, Carnegie Mellon University The argument John Anderson gives in this book was inspired by the passage above, from the last lecture by one of the pioneers of cognitive science. Newell describes what, for him, is the pivotal question of scientific inquiry, and Anderson gives an answer that is emerging from the study of brain and behavior. Humans share the same basic cognitive architecture with all primates, but they have evolved abilities to exercise abstract control over cognition and process more complex relational patterns. The human cognitive architecture consists of a set of largely independent modules associated with different brain regions. In this book, Anderson discusses in detail how these various modules can combine to produce behaviors as varied as driving a car and solving an algebraic equation, but focuses principally on two of the modules: the declarative and procedural. The declarative module involves a memory system that, moment by moment, attempts to give each person the most appropriate possible window into his or her past. The procedural module involves a central system that strives to develop a set of productions that will enable the most adaptive response from any state of the modules. Newell argued that the answer to his question must take the form of a cognitive architecture, and Anderson organizes his answer around the ACT-R architecture, but broadens it by bringing in research from all areas of cognitive science, including how recent work in brain imaging maps onto the cognitive architecture.

Download or read book Fine Tuning in the Physical Universe written by David Sloan and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-10-29 with total page 571 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An overview of fine-tuning arguments in physics, for students and researchers in physics and philosophy.

Download or read book The Physical Universe written by Konrad Bates Krauskopf and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: -The aim of this text is to present, as simply and clearly as possible, the essentials of physics, chemistry, geology, and astronomy.

Download or read book The Human World in the Physical Universe written by Nicholas Maxwell and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How is it possible for the world as we experience it to exist embedded in the physical universe? How can there be sensory qualities, consciousness, freedom, science and art, friendship, love, justice--all that which gives meaning and value to life--if the world really is more or less as modern science tells us it is? This is the problem that is tackled by this book. The solution proposed is that physics describes only a selected aspect of all that exists--that aspect which determines the way events unfold. Sensory qualities, inner experiences, consciousness, meaning and value, all these exist but lie beyond the scope of physics, and of that part of science that can be reduced to physics. Furthermore, these human features of the world are to be explained and understood, not scientifically, but "personalistically," a kind of understanding distinct from, and not reducible to, science. This view that the world is riddled with what may be called "double comprehensibility" leads to a proposed solution to the philosophical mind/body problem, and to the problem of free will; it leads to a reinterpretation of Darwin's theory of evolution, and to an account of the evolution of consciousness and free will. After a discussion of the location of consciousness in the brain, the book concludes with a proposal as to how academic inquiry might be changed so that it becomes a kind of inquiry rationally designed to help humanity create a more civilized human world in the physical universe.

Download or read book Understanding the Universe written by James B. Seaborn and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1998 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intended for undergraduate non-science majors, satisfying a general education requirement or seeking an elective in natural science, this is a physics text, but with the emphasis on topics and applications in astronomy. The perspective is thus different from most undergraduate astronomy courses: rather than discussing what is known about the heavens, this text develops the principles of physics so as to illuminate what we see in the heavens. The fundamental principles governing the behaviour of matter and energy are thus used to study the solar system, the structure and evolution of stars, and the early universe. The first part of the book develops Newtonian mechanics towards an understanding of celestial mechanics, while chapters on electromagnetism and elementary quantum theory lay the foundation of the modern theory of the structure of matter and the role of radiation in the constitution of stars. Kinetic theory and nuclear physics provide the basis for a discussion of stellar structure and evolution, and an examination of red shifts and other observational data provide a basis for discussions of cosmology and cosmogony.

Download or read book Unifying the Universe written by Hasan S. Padamsee and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2002-11-05 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unifying the Universe: The Physics of Heaven and Earth provides a solid background in basic physics. With a humanistic perspective, it shows how science is significant for more than its technological consequences. The book includes clear and well-planned links to the arts and philosophies of relevant historical periods to bring science and the humanities together.

Download or read book Physics and the Physicaluniverse written by Jerry B. Marion and published by . This book was released on 1981-08 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Frame of the Universe written by Frank Durham and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1985-11-15 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Durham and Purrington approach the history of the universe by exploring the frontiers of physics, while maintaining a long-standing interest in astronomy and cosmology. They stress that man can not fully understand himself until he understands the universe, of which he is a part.

Download or read book Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe written by Brian Clegg and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How patterns--from diagrams of spacetime to particle trails revealed by supercolliders--offer clues to the fundamental workings of the physical world. Our universe might appear chaotic, but deep down it's simply a myriad of rules working independently to create patterns of action, force, and consequence. In Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe, Brian Clegg explores the phenomena that make up the very fabric of our world by examining ten essential sequenced systems. From diagrams that show the deep relationships between space and time to the quantum behaviors that rule the way that matter and light interact, Clegg shows how these patterns provide a unique view of the physical world and its fundamental workings. Guiding readers on a tour of our world and the universe beyond, Clegg describes the cosmic microwave background, sometimes called the "echo of the big bang," and how it offers clues to the universe's beginnings; the diagrams that illustrate Einstein's revelation of the intertwined nature of space and time; the particle trail patterns revealed by the Large Hadron Collider and other accelerators; and the simple-looking patterns that predict quantum behavior (and decorated Richard Feynman's van). Clegg explains how the periodic table reflects the underlying pattern of the configuration of atoms, discusses the power of the number line, demonstrates the explanatory uses of tree diagrams, and more.

Download or read book A Different Universe written by Robert B Laughlin and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-07-31 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Nobel-winning physicist argues that fundamental physical laws are found not in the world of atoms, but in the macroscopic world around us In this age of superstring theories and Big Bang cosmology, we're used to thinking of the unknown as impossibly distant from our everyday lives. But in A Different Universe, Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin argues that the scientific frontier is right under our fingers. Instead of looking for ultimate theories, Laughlin considers the world of emergent properties-meaning the properties, such as the hardness and shape of a crystal, that result from the organization of large numbers of atoms. Laughlin shows us how the most fundamental laws of physics are in fact emergent. A Different Universe is a truly mind-bending book that shows us why everything we think about fundamental physical laws needs to change.

Download or read book EUREKA written by R.J Blin-Stoyle and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 1997-07-01 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an accessible introduction to the subject of physics, and how it underpins our understanding of the physical world today. Starting with an initial description of what physics represents from the micro- to the macroscopic, Roger Blin-Stoyle takes the reader on a tour of Newton's Laws, the nature of matter, explaining how the physical world works and how physics may affect our future understanding. The treatment avoids detailed mathematics, and at all times relates the concepts introduced to the reader's everyday experience. The author makes effective use of simple, line drawings to illustrate the concepts introduced. Topics are presented with clarity and precision. The author's enthusiasm for his subject, and his desire to make it comprehensible to the widest possible audience are evident. It is a good foundation for exploring the more exotic aspects of physics, as presented by, for example, Close, Davies and Hawking. Suggestions for further reading are included as an appendix.

Download or read book Time Travel in Einstein s Universe written by J. Richard Gott and published by HMH. This book was released on 2015-08-25 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Princeton astrophysicist explores whether journeying to the past or future is scientifically possible in this “intriguing” volume (Neil deGrasse Tyson). It was H. G. Wells who coined the term “time machine”—but the concept of time travel, both forward and backward, has always provoked fascination and yearning. It has mostly been dismissed as an impossibility in the world of physics; yet theories posited by Einstein, and advanced by scientists including Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne, suggest that the phenomenon could actually occur. Building on these ideas, J. Richard Gott, a professor who has written on the subject for Scientific American, Time, and other publications, describes how travel to the future is not only possible but has already happened—and contemplates whether travel to the past is also conceivable. This look at the surprising facts behind the science fiction of time travel “deserves the attention of anyone wanting wider intellectual horizons” (Booklist). “Impressively clear language. Practical tips for chrononauts on their options for travel and the contingencies to prepare for make everything sound bizarrely plausible. Gott clearly enjoys his subject and his excitement and humor are contagious; this book is a delight to read.” —Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Physics of the Universe written by Mendel Sachs and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2010 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a new approach to the subject of cosmology. It fully exploits Einstein?s theory of general relativity. It is found that the most general formal expression of the theory replaces the (10-component) tensor formalism with a (16-component) quaternion formalism. This leads to a unified field theory, where one field incorporates gravitation and electromagnetism. The theory predicts an oscillating universe cosmology with a spiral configuration. Dark matter is explained in terms of a sea of particle?antiparticle pairs, each in a particular (derived) ground state. This leads to an explanation for the separation between matter and antimatter in the universe. There is a brief discussion of black holes and pulsars. The final chapter delves into philosophical considerations such as the different types of ?truth?, positivism versus realism and a discussion of the role of the Mach principle in physics and cosmology.

Download or read book Meeting the Universe Halfway written by Karen Barad and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2007-07-11 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A theoretical physicist and feminist theorist, Karen Barad elaborates her theory of agential realism, a schema that is at once a new epistemology, ontology, and ethics.

Download or read book The Dream Universe written by David Lindley and published by Doubleday. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A vivid and captivating narrative about how modern science broke free of ancient philosophy, and how theoretical physics is returning to its unscientific roots In the early seventeenth century Galileo broke free from the hold of ancient Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy. He drastically changed the framework through which we view the natural world when he asserted that we should base our theory of reality on what we can observe rather than pure thought. In the process, he invented what we would come to call science. This set the stage for all the breakthroughs that followed--from Kepler to Newton to Einstein. But in the early twentieth century when quantum physics, with its deeply complex mathematics, entered into the picture, something began to change. Many physicists began looking to the equations first and physical reality second. As we investigate realms further and further from what we can see and what we can test, we must look to elegant, aesthetically pleasing equations to develop our conception of what reality is. As a result, much of theoretical physics today is something more akin to the philosophy of Plato than the science to which the physicists are heirs. In The Dream Universe, Lindley asks what is science when it becomes completely untethered from measurable phenomena?

Download or read book The Physical Origin of the Universe written by Frank Arca and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2007-09 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The thesis of this book is to convey a solution to the physical origin of space-time, matter, the fundamental forces, and the mechanism of perception, by identifying a root from which there is a definite pathway to cognizing the underlying geometric cause from which all reality is therefrom based. This work lies between both physics and philosophy, and thus may be regarded in both categories, but more towards philosophy because such a powerful doctrine, which asserts the origin of the universe, is for now incapable of undergoing such definitive experimentation. A philosophy moreover on the framework to construct the correct equation of unification for physics is one major objective of this work; indeed there is constantly present the limited barrier of the mechanism of perception and idea, but, despite this fact, we may, without a doubt, still discover a route in order to make knowable the physical cause of nature. That besides, the doctrines which attempt to falsely represent such origins, namely those which propose to solve matter with more matter or space-time with extra space-time, or those which propose the opposite in that there is only consciousness and perception, all of which thus abandon the manifest quantities which are provided in reality. But in fact there is a new direction to which reason can turn in so far as to integrate what the former and latter propositions failed to do so, and this is to analyze the anatomic brain material as that which subsists exterior to the fabric of space-time, hence causality, and derive the prototypic geometric from which the extracted universe gains its shape and possibility in the first place.