Download or read book A Cultural History of Physics written by Karoly Simonyi and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-01-25 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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,

Download or read book Physics And Culture written by Brian Cotterell and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The role of physics in our culture is examined from the time of Newton to the present day. It has three parts: an introduction to physics and two parts covering the roles of Newtonian and Modern/Postmodern physics. It is shown how popularization enabled physics to become part of our culture, while the topics discussed include religion, philosophy, politics, literature, the visual arts, and music. An underlying theme is that physics is an intimate part of our culture which, together with the other sciences, has had a wide general influence that cannot be ignored.The book has been written for all that are genuinely interested in culture. It is well referenced and illustrated, and suitable for the general public, students and academics who are interested in bridging the sciences and humanities in today's era of specialization.

Download or read book The Live Creature and Ethereal Things written by Nicola Triscott and published by Arts Catalyst. This book was released on 2018-05-22 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The Live Creature and Ethereal Things: Physics in Culture' is a collection of essays, images and short texts that present fundamental physics and the physics of the universe as human activities and cultural endeavours. Contributions by artists, curators and physicists examine the role of personality, power and culture in physics and discuss the value of cross-pollination between the practices of contemporary art and physics. These reflections shed light on the people and the material practices of physics: from the vast underground particle physics laboratory at CERN, Geneva, used by half of the world's particle physicists, and deep underground neutrino observatories in the UK, Italy and Antarctica, to super-computers that construct astonishing visualisations of the evolution of the universe. Contributors: Dr Nicola Triscott, Professor Fiona Crisp, Tavares Strachan, Semiconductor (Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt), Dr Suchitra Sebastian, Professor Tara Shears, Dr Chamkaur Ghag, Ansuman Biswas, Nahum, Professor Roger Malina, Dr Mark Neyrinck, Tomás Saraceno, Dr Flaviu Cipcigan, Annie Carpenter, Dr Marek Kukula, Harry Lawson, Dr Massimo Mannarelli, Phil Coy, Mónica Bello, Jol Thomson, and Blanca Pujals. Foreword by Johanna Kieniewicz, Institute of Physics

Download or read book Image and Logic written by Peter Galison and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1997-10 with total page 1002 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engages with the impact of modern technology on experimental physicists. This study reveals how the increasing scale and complexity of apparatus has distanced physicists from the very science which drew them into experimenting, and has fragmented microphysics into different technical traditions.

Download or read book The Two Cultures written by C. P. Snow and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-26 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The importance of science and technology and future of education and research are just some of the subjects discussed here.

Download or read book The Science of Energy written by Crosbie Smith and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although we take it for granted today, the concept of "energy" transformed nineteenth-century physics. In The Science of Energy, Crosbie Smith shows how a North British group of scientists and engineers, including James Joule, James Clerk Maxwell, William and James Thomson, Fleeming Jenkin, and P. G. Tait, developed energy physics to solve practical problems encountered by Scottish shipbuilders and marine engineers; to counter biblical revivalism and evolutionary materialism; and to rapidly enhance their own scientific credibility. Replacing the language and concepts of classical mechanics with terms such as "actual" and "potential" energy, the North British group conducted their revolution in physics so astutely and vigorously that the concept of "energy"—a valuable commodity in the early days of industrialization—became their intellectual property. Smith skillfully places this revolution in its scientific and cultural context, exploring the actual creation of scientific knowledge during one of the most significant episodes in the history of physics.

Download or read book Teaching and Learning of Physics in Cultural Contexts written by Yunebae Park and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2004 with total page 495 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aims of the International Conference on Physics Education in Cultural Contexts were to explore ways towards convergent and divergent physics learning beyond school boundaries, improve physics education through the use of traditional and modern cultural contexts, and exchange research and experience in physics education between different cultures.A total of 45 papers have been selected for this volume. The material is divided into three parts: Context and History, Conceptual Changes, and Media.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in: ? Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)? Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings? (ISSHP? / ISI Proceedings)? Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)? CC Proceedings ? Engineering & Physical Sciences

Download or read book Teaching and Learning of Physics in Cultural Contexts written by Yunebae Park and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2004 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aims of the International Conference on Physics Education in Cultural Contexts were to explore ways towards convergent and divergent physics learning beyond school boundaries, improve physics education through the use of traditional and modern cultural contexts, and exchange research and experience in physics education between different cultures. A total of 45 papers have been selected for this volume. The material is divided into three parts: Context and History, Conceptual Changes, and Media. The proceedings have been selected for coverage in: . OCo Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings). OCo Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings- (ISSHP- / ISI Proceedings). OCo Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings). OCo CC Proceedings OCo Engineering & Physical Sciences."

Download or read book Facing Up written by Steven Weinberg and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times’s James Glanz has called Steven Weinberg “perhaps the world’s most authoritative proponent of the idea that physics is hurtling toward a ‘final theory,’ a complete explanation of nature’s particles and forces that will endure as the bedrock of all science forevermore. He is also a powerful writer of prose that can illuminate—and sting... He recently received the Lewis Thomas Prize, awarded to the researcher who best embodies ‘the scientist as poet.’” Both the brilliant scientist and the provocative writer are fully present in this book as Weinberg pursues his principal passions, theoretical physics and a deeper understanding of the culture, philosophy, history, and politics of science.Each of these essays, which span fifteen years, struggles in one way or another with the necessity of facing up to the discovery that the laws of nature are impersonal, with no hint of a special status for human beings. Defending the spirit of science against its cultural adversaries, these essays express a viewpoint that is reductionist, realist, and devoutly secular. Each is preceded by a new introduction that explains its provenance and, if necessary, brings it up to date. Together, they afford the general reader the unique pleasure of experiencing the superb sense, understanding, and knowledge of one of the most interesting and forceful scientific minds of our era.

Download or read book The One Culture written by Jay A. Labinger and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-08-15 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: So far the "Science Wars" have generated far more heat than light. Combatants from one or the other of what C. P. Snow famously called "the two cultures" (science versus the arts and humanities) have launched bitter attacks but have seldom engaged in constructive dialogue about the central issues. In The One Culture?, Jay A. Labinger and Harry Collins have gathered together some of the world's foremost scientists and sociologists of science to exchange opinions and ideas rather than insults. The contributors find surprising areas of broad agreement in a genuine conversation about science, its legitimacy and authority as a means of understanding the world, and whether science studies undermines the practice and findings of science and scientists. The One Culture? is organized into three parts. The first consists of position papers written by scientists and sociologists of science, which were distributed to all the participants. The second presents commentaries on these papers, drawing out and discussing their central themes and arguments. In the third section, participants respond to these critiques, offering defenses, clarifications, and modifications of their positions. Who can legitimately speak about science? What is the proper role of scientific knowledge? How should scientists interact with the rest of society in decision making? Because science occupies such a central position in the world today, such questions are vitally important. Although there are no simple solutions, The One Culture? does show the reader exactly what is at stake in the Science Wars, and provides a valuable framework for how to go about seeking the answers we so urgently need. Contributors include: Constance K. Barsky, Jean Bricmont, Harry Collins, Peter Dear, Jane Gregory, Jay A. Labinger, Michael Lynch, N. David Mermin, Steve Miller, Trevor Pinch, Peter R. Saulson, Steven Shapin, Alan Sokal, Steven Weinberg, Kenneth G. Wilson

Download or read book How the Hippies Saved Physics written by David Kaiser and published by W.W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2012-06-29 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, quantum information theory is among the most exciting scientific frontiers, attracting billions of dollars in funding and thousands of talented researchers. But as MIT physicist and historian David Kaiser reveals, this cutting-edge field has a surprisingly psychedelic past. How the Hippies Saved Physics introduces us to a band of freewheeling physicists who defied the imperative to "shut up and calculate" and helped to rejuvenate modern physics. For physicists, the 1970s were a time of stagnation. Jobs became scarce, and conformity was encouraged, sometimes stifling exploration of the mysteries of the physical world. Dissatisfied, underemployed, and eternally curious, an eccentric group of physicists in Berkeley, California, banded together to throw off the constraints of the physics mainstream and explore the wilder side of science. Dubbing themselves the "Fundamental Fysiks Group," they pursued an audacious, speculative approach to physics. They studied quantum entanglement and Bell's Theorem through the lens of Eastern mysticism and psychic mind-reading, discussing the latest research while lounging in hot tubs. Some even dabbled with LSD to enhance their creativity. Unlikely as it may seem, these iconoclasts spun modern physics in a new direction, forcing mainstream physicists to pay attention to the strange but exciting underpinnings of quantum theory. A lively, entertaining story that illuminates the relationship between creativity and scientific progress, How the Hippies Saved Physics takes us to a time when only the unlikeliest heroes could break the science world out of its rut.

Download or read book Cultural Science written by John Hartley and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-09-25 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cultural Science introduces a new way of thinking about culture. Adopting an evolutionary and systems approach, the authors argue that culture is the population-wide source of newness and innovation; it faces the future, not the past. Its chief characteristic is the formation of groups or 'demes' (organised and productive subpopulation; 'demos'). Demes are the means for creating, distributing and growing knowledge. However, such groups are competitive and knowledge-systems are adversarial. Starting from a rereading of Darwinian evolutionary theory, the book utilises multidisciplinary resources: Raymond Williams's 'culture is ordinary' approach; evolutionary science (e.g. Mark Pagel and Herbert Gintis); semiotics (Yuri Lotman); and economic theory (from Schumpeter to McCloskey). Successive chapters argue that: -Culture and knowledge need to be understood from an externalist ('linked brains') perspective, rather than through the lens of individual behaviour; -Demes are created by culture, especially storytelling, which in turn constitutes both politics and economics; -The clash of systems - including demes - is productive of newness, meaningfulness and successful reproduction of culture; -Contemporary urban culture and citizenship can best be explained by investigating how culture is used, and how newness and innovation emerge from unstable and contested boundaries between different meaning systems; -The evolution of culture is a process of technologically enabled 'demic concentration' of knowledge, across overlapping meaning-systems or semiospheres; a process where the number of demes accessible to any individual has increased at an accelerating rate, resulting in new problems of scale and coordination for cultural science to address. The book argues for interdisciplinary 'consilience', linking evolutionary and complexity theory in the natural sciences, economics and anthropology in the social sciences, and cultural, communication and media studies in the humanities and creative arts. It describes what is needed for a new 'modern synthesis' for the cultural sciences. It combines analytical and historical methods, to provide a framework for a general reconceptualisation of the theory of culture – one that is focused not on its political or customary aspects but rather its evolutionary significance as a generator of newness and innovation.

Download or read book Being Modern written by Robert Bud and published by UCL Press. This book was released on 2018-10-10 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early decades of the twentieth century, engagement with science was commonly used as an emblem of modernity. This phenomenon is now attracting increasing attention in different historical specialties. Being Modern builds on this recent scholarly interest to explore engagement with science across culture from the end of the nineteenth century to approximately 1940. Addressing the breadth of cultural forms in Britain and the western world from the architecture of Le Corbusier to working class British science fiction, Being Modern paints a rich picture. Seventeen distinguished contributors from a range of fields including the cultural study of science and technology, art and architecture, English culture and literature examine the issues involved. The book will be a valuable resource for students, and a spur to scholars to further examination of culture as an interconnected web of which science is a critical part, and to supersede such tired formulations as 'Science and culture'.

Download or read book Epistemic Cultures written by Karin Knorr Cetina and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1999-05-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does science create knowledge? Epistemic cultures, shaped by affinity, necessity, and historical coincidence, determine how we know what we know. In this book, Karin Knorr Cetina compares two of the most important and intriguing epistemic cultures of our day, those in high energy physics and molecular biology. Her work highlights the diversity of these cultures of knowing and, in its depiction of their differences--in the meaning of the empirical, the enactment of object relations, and the fashioning of social relations--challenges the accepted view of a unified science. By many accounts, contemporary Western societies are becoming knowledge societies--which run on expert processes and expert systems epitomized by science and structured into all areas of social life. By looking at epistemic cultures in two sample cases, this book addresses pressing questions about how such expert systems and processes work, what principles inform their cognitive and procedural orientations, and whether their organization, structures, and operations can be extended to other forms of social order. The first ethnographic study to systematically compare two different scientific laboratory cultures, this book sharpens our focus on epistemic cultures as the basis of the knowledge society.

Download or read book Beamtimes and Lifetimes written by Sharon Traweek and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looks at the life of particle physicists, showing who these people are and what their world is really like. Traweek shows their similarities and differences, how their careers are shaped, how they interact with their colleagues and how their ideas about time and space shape their social structure.

Download or read book The Physics and Astronomy of Science Fiction written by Steven D. Bloom and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-07-13 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The great scientific, astronomical and technological advances of the 20th century inspired the science fiction genre to imagine distant worlds and futures, far beyond the discoveries of the here and now. This book explores science fiction films, television series, novels and short stories--from Lost in Space (1965-1968) to Fringe (2008-2013) to the works of Isaac Asimov and Stephen Baxter--with a focus on their underlying concepts of physics and astronomy. Assessing accuracy and plausibility, the author considers the possibilities of solar system, interstellar and faster than light travel; intelligent planets, dark (anti-) matter, the multiverse and string theory, time travel, alternate universes, teleportation and replication, weaponry, force fields, extraterrestrial life, subatomic life, emotional robots, super-human and parapsychological powers, asteroid impacts, space colonies and many other topics.

Download or read book Physics and Psychics written by Richard Noakes and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-17 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noakes' revelatory analysis of Victorian scientists' fascination with psychic phenomena connects science, the occult and religion in intriguing new ways.