Download or read book Why Quark Rhymes with Pork written by N. David Mermin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-01-13 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of offbeat, entertaining and primarily nontechnical essays on physics and those who practice it, from eminent theoretical physicist N. David Mermin. Bringing together for the first time all thirty of his columns published in Physics Today's Reference Frame series from 1988 to 2009, with updating commentary, this humorous and unusual volume includes thirteen other essays, many of them previously unpublished. Mermin's lively and penetrating writing illuminates a broad range of topics, from the implications of bad spelling in a major science journal, to the crises of science libraries and scientific periodicals, the folly of scientific prizes and honors, the agony of getting funding, and how to pronounce 'quark'. His witty observations and insightful anecdotes gleaned from a lifetime in science will entertain physicists at all levels, as well as anyone else interested in science or scientists at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Information and Interaction written by Ian T. Durham and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-12-09 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this essay collection, leading physicists, philosophers, and historians attempt to fill the empty theoretical ground in the foundations of information and address the related question of the limits to our knowledge of the world. Over recent decades, our practical approach to information and its exploitation has radically outpaced our theoretical understanding - to such a degree that reflection on the foundations may seem futile. But it is exactly fields such as quantum information, which are shifting the boundaries of the physically possible, that make a foundational understanding of information increasingly important. One of the recurring themes of the book is the claim by Eddington and Wheeler that information involves interaction and putting agents or observers centre stage. Thus, physical reality, in their view, is shaped by the questions we choose to put to it and is built up from the information residing at its core. This is the root of Wheeler’s famous phrase “it from bit.” After reading the stimulating essays collected in this volume, readers will be in a good position to decide whether they agree with this view.
Download or read book Uncertainty and Its Discontents written by Peter J. Katzenstein and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-07-07 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume considers worldviews as foundational concepts for world politics.
Download or read book 50 Years Of The Renormalization Group Dedicated To The Memory Of Michael E Fisher written by Amnon Aharony and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2024-07-26 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contributions in the book are devoted to the memory of Michael E Fisher, and hence include many personal memories from people whose work was influenced by him. Also, the book is a collection of articles from leaders in the field of phase transitions and critical phenomena, to celebrate 50 years of the renormalization group and the 1972 paper by Wilson and Fisher. Many of the articles review, in tutorial form, the progress in the fields of phase transitions and the renormalization group.
Download or read book World According To Quantum Mechanics The Why The Laws Of Physics Make Perfect Sense After All Second Edition written by Ulrich Mohrhoff and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2018-10-12 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The authors should be recognised for their efforts to present a mathematically rigorous introduction to Quantum Mechanics (QM) in a form that has broad appeal; there are not many introductory QM texts that would cover, for example, decoherence. I think many educators would appreciate this book, especially those interested in courses that combine science and philosophy.'Contemporary PhysicsApart from providing a lucid introduction to the mathematical formalism and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, we explain why the laws of physics have the form that they do. In addition, we present a new and unique look at the quantum world, steering clear of two common errors: the error of the ψ-ontologists, who reify a calculational tool; and the error of the anti-realists, for whom physical theories are simply devices for expressing regularities among observations.The new edition of this acclaimed text adds around 200 pages on a variety of topics, such as how the founders sought to make sense of quantum mechanics, Kant's theory of science, QBism, Everettian quantum mechanics, de Broglie-Bohm theory, environmental decoherence, contextuality, nonlocality, and the paradox of subjectivity — the curious fact that the world seems to exist twice, once for us, in our minds, and once by itself, independently of us.
Download or read book Probing The Meaning Of Quantum Mechanics Probability Metaphysics Explanation And Measurement written by Diederik Aerts and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2023-09-21 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantum theory is perhaps our best confirmed theory for a description of the physical properties of nature. On top of demonstrating great empirical effectiveness, many technological developments in the 20th century (such as the interpretation of the periodic table of elements, CD players, holograms, and quantum state teleportation) were only made possible with Quantum theory.Despite its success in the past decades, even today it still remains without a universally accepted interpretation.This book provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the question; 'What is Quantum Mechanics talking about?', a question which continues to be one of the most fascinating and important questions in science.Using an interdisciplinary approach to foundational problems in Quantum Mechanics (QM), ranging from philosophical questions about the interpretation of QM to technical problems in quantum computation, this book explores quantum mechanics from different perspectives (physical, logical, philosophical and mathematical), by researchers from Europe, North America, and South America.
Download or read book Niels Bohr and the Philosophy of Physics written by Jan Faye and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-10-19 with total page 703 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Niels Bohr and Philosophy of Physics: Twenty-First Century Perspectives examines the philosophical views, influences and legacy of the Nobel Prize physicist and philosophical spokesman of the quantum revolution, Niels Bohr. The sixteen contributions in this collection by some of the best contemporary philosophers and physicists writing on Bohr's philosophy today all carefully distinguish his subtle and unique interpretation of quantum mechanics from views often imputed to him under the banner of the “Copenhagen Interpretation.” With respect to philosophical influences on Bohr's outlook, the contributors analyse prominent similarities between his viewpoint and Kantian ways of thinking, the views of the Danish philosopher Harald Høffding, and themes characteristic of American pragmatism. In recognizing the importance of Bohr's epistemological naturalism they examine his defence of the indispensability of classical concepts from a variety of different perspectives. This collection shows us that Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics, now nearly a century old, still has the power to shed light on a variety of issues that have arisen only since his lifetime, as well as decoherence theory and other non-collapse interpretations. Balancing historical themes with contemporary discussions, Niels Bohr and the Philosophy of Physics establishes Bohr's on-going contribution to the philosophy of physics and examines his place in the history of philosophy.
Download or read book Modern Quantum Theory written by Reinhold Bertlmann and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023 with total page 1028 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aimed at university students, as well as academic and industry researchers, this textbook is an introduction to quantum theory, covering the development of the field from the early stages of quantum mechanics to modern quantum information, with a focus on entanglement theory.
Download or read book The Principles of Quantum Theory From Planck s Quanta to the Higgs Boson written by Arkady Plotnitsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-26 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book considers foundational thinking in quantum theory, focusing on the role the fundamental principles and principle thinking there, including thinking that leads to the invention of new principles, which is, the book contends, one of the ultimate achievements of theoretical thinking in physics and beyond. The focus on principles, prominent during the rise and in the immediate aftermath of quantum theory, has been uncommon in more recent discussions and debates concerning it. The book argues, however, that exploring the fundamental principles and principle thinking is exceptionally helpful in addressing the key issues at stake in quantum foundations and the seemingly interminable debates concerning them. Principle thinking led to major breakthroughs throughout the history of quantum theory, beginning with the old quantum theory and quantum mechanics, the first definitive quantum theory, which it remains within its proper (nonrelativistic) scope. It has, the book also argues, been equally important in quantum field theory, which has been the frontier of quantum theory for quite a while now, and more recently, in quantum information theory, where principle thinking was given new prominence. The approach allows the book to develop a new understanding of both the history and philosophy of quantum theory, from Planck’s quantum to the Higgs boson, and beyond, and of the thinking the key founding figures, such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Dirac, as well as some among more recent theorists. The book also extensively considers the nature of quantum probability, and contains a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, “the statistical Copenhagen interpretation.” Overall, the book’s argument is guided by what Heisenberg called “the spirit of Copenhagen,” which is defined by three great divorces from the preceding foundational thinking in physics—reality from realism, probability from causality, and locality from relativity—and defined the fundamental principles of quantum theory accordingly.
Download or read book Analogia written by Nikolaos Loudovikos and published by ST MAXIM THE GREEK INSTITUTE. This book was released on 2022-03-04 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “…post-modern thought allowed the emergence of the question of Metaphysics again. This also makes possible a rethinking of the science-theology relation in a new light. The aim of this volume is precisely to shed a glimpse of this new light upon this ongoing conversation, by now involving Orthodox Theology in it. The possible contribution of Orthodox Theology to this discussion, in the context of the Christian Greek-Western world, can be path-breaking…” (From the Note of the Senior Editor) Contents: 1. Patristic Views On The Nature And Status Of Scientific Knowledge, JEAN-CLAUDE LARCHET, 2. The Dialogue between Orthodox Theology and Science as Explication of the Human Condition, ALEXEI NESTERUK, 3. Actor-Network Theory and Byzantine Philosophy, GEORGI KAPRIEV, 4. The Cosmos in the Bible and science, GEORGIOS GOUNARIS, 5. Quantum Physics and Christian Faith, JOHN BRECK, 6. Exploring Analogy of Debates to Approach the Encounter between Orthodox Theology and Quantum Physics, STOYAN TANEV, 7. Logic of Mystery: Reading Wittgenstein in parallel to Orthodox theology and quantum theory, TIM LABRON, 8. Psychoanalysis And Eschatology, NIKOLAOS LOUDOVIKOS, 9. Theology and the Discovery of the Unconscious: Preliminary Remarks, NIKOLAOS LOUDOVIKOS, 10. Ways of Comprehending, ATHANASIOS FOKAS, 11. Evolution, Genetics, and Nature: Implications for Orthodox, GAYLE E. WOLOSCHACK
Download or read book Reality Without Realism written by Arkady Plotnitsky and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents quantum theory as a theory based on new relationships among matter, thought, and experimental technology, as against those previously found in physics, relationships that also redefine those between mathematics and physics in quantum theory. The argument of the book is based on its title concept, reality without realism (RWR), and in the corresponding view, the RWR view, of quantum theory. The book considers, from this perspective, the thinking of Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Dirac, with the aim of bringing together the philosophy and history of quantum theory. With quantum theory, the book argues, the architecture of thought in theoretical physics was radically changed by the irreducible role of experimental technology in the constitution of physical phenomena, accordingly, no longer defined independently by matter alone, as they were in classical physics or relativity. Or so it appeared. For, quantum theory, the book further argues, made us realize that experimental technology, beginning with that of our bodies, irreducibly shapes all physical phenomena, and thus makes us rethink the relationships among matter, thought, and technology in all of physics.
Download or read book Lost in Math written by Sabine Hossenfelder and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this "provocative" book (New York Times), a contrarian physicist argues that her field's modern obsession with beauty has given us wonderful math but bad science. Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria. Worse, these "too good to not be true" theories are actually untestable and they have left the field in a cul-de-sac. To escape, physicists must rethink their methods. Only by embracing reality as it is can science discover the truth.
Download or read book Understanding Quarks written by B. H. Fields and published by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2015-07-15 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the history of the discovery and the properties of the quark, one of the most basic constituents of matter.
Download or read book Basher Science Physics written by Dan Green and published by Kingfisher. This book was released on 2016-12-06 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basher Science: Physics, Why Matter Matters! created and illustrated by Simon Basher, Written by Dan Green: Imagine physics as a community full of wacky characters--the building blocks of the universe each with a unique personality. This book throws open the doors and welcomes you into their amazing world. From gravity to the theory of relativity, this unique book provides visual interpretations of complex concepts, designed to make learning physics easier and a whole lot more fun!
Download or read book Ghost Particle written by Alan Chodos and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2023-02-28 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fascinating story of science in pursuit of the ghostly, ubiquitous subatomic particle—the neutrino. Isaac Asimov once observed of the neutrino: “The only reason scientists suggested its existence was their need to make calculations come out even. And yet the nothing-particle was not a nothing at all.” In fact, as one of the most enigmatic and most populous particles in the universe—about 100 trillion are flying through you every second—the neutrino may hold the clues to some of our deepest cosmic mysteries. In Ghost Particle, Alan Chodos and James Riordon recount the dramatic history of the neutrino—from the initial suggestion that the particle was merely a desperate solution to a puzzle that threatened to undermine the burgeoning field of particle physics to its modern role in illuminating the universe via neutrino telescopes. Alan Chodos and James Riordon are deft and engaging guides as they conduct readers through the experiences of intrepid scientists and the challenges they faced, and continue to face, in their search for the ghostly neutrino. Along the way, the authors provide expert insight into the significance of neutrino research from the particle’s first, momentous discovery to recent, revolutionary advances in neutrino detection and astronomy. Chodos and Riordon describe how neutrinos may soon provide clues to some of the biggest questions we encounter today, including how to understand the dark matter that makes up most of the universe—and why anything exists in the universe at all.
Download or read book Basher Science Extreme Physics written by Simon Basher and published by Kingfisher. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Basher's totally hip and quirky style, readers are introduced to the amazing research that is revolutionizing physics! From the pioneering experiments taking place in the Hadron Collider to NASAs deep-space exploration,Basher Science: Extreme Physics highlights the realm of miniscule things that was discovered in the early 1900s by scientists who were on the hunt for teeny-tiny parts of matter, the bits from which all larger things are made. This wild, uncertain world is bursting with crazy characters you're about to meet-you're gonna love them!
Download or read book Electricity and Thermal Physics written by Mark Ellse and published by Nelson Thornes. This book was released on 2004 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electrical and thermal physics is part of a series of lively, high-quality texts for senior physics students.
