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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 102

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A possible Harappan Astronomical Observatory at Dholavira
Astronomy arises very early in a civilization and evolves as the civilization advances. It is therefore reasonable to assume that a vibrant knowledge of astronomy would have been a feature of a…
Mayank N Vahia, Srikumar MenonOct 24, 2013
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Relativistic Achilles
This manuscript presents a problem on special relativity theory (SRT) which embodies an apparent paradox relying on the concept of simultaneity. The problem is represented in the framework of Greek…
Fabrice LeardiniOct 22, 2013
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A Critical History of Renormalization
The history of renormalization is reviewed with a critical eye, starting with Lorentz's theory of radiation damping, through perturbative QED with Dyson, Gell-Mann & Low, and others, to…
Kerson HuangOct 21, 2013
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Centenary of "Researches on irritability of plants" by Jagadis Chandra Bose
This note celebrates the centenary of Jagadis Chandra Bose's classic monograph entitled "Researches on irritability of plants".
Debashish ChowdhuryOct 13, 2013
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Einstein and the conservation of energy-momentum in general relativity
The main purpose of the present paper is to show that a correction of one mistake was crucial for Einstein's pathway to the first version of the 1915 general theory of relativity, but also might…
Galina WeinsteinOct 10, 2013
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Discovery of the Hot Big Bang: What happened in 1948
The idea that the universe is filled with the thermal radiation now termed the Cosmic Microwave Background was first discussed in eleven publications in the year 1948. These papers offer a detailed…
P. J. E. PeeblesOct 8, 2013
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Explaining Thermodynamic-Like Behaviour In Terms of Epsilon-Ergodicity
Why do gases reach equilibrium when left to themselves? The canonical answer, originally proffered by Boltzmann, is that the systems have to be ergodic. This answer is now widely regarded as flawed.…
Roman Frigg, Charlotte WerndlOct 7, 2013
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Justifying Typicality Measures of Boltzmannian Statistical Mechanics and Dynamical Systems
A popular view in contemporary Boltzmannian statistical mechanics is to interpret the measures as typicality measures. In measure-theoretic dynamical systems theory measures can similarly be…
Charlotte WerndlOct 6, 2013
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Quantum Annealing and Computation: A Brief Documentary Note
Major breakthrough in quantum computation has recently been achieved using quantum annealing to develop analog quantum computers instead of gate based computers. After a short introduction to quantum…
Asim Ghosh, Sudip MukherjeeOct 3, 2013
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On the Significance of the Gottesman-Knill Theorem
According to the Gottesman-Knill theorem, quantum algorithms which utilise only the operations belonging to a certain restricted set are efficiently simulable classically. Since some of the…
Michael E. CuffaroOct 3, 2013
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George Gamow and Albert Einstein: Did Einstein say the cosmological constant was the "biggest blunder" he ever made in his life?
In 1956/1970 Gamow wrote that much later, when he was discussing cosmological problems with Einstein, he remarked that the introduction of the cosmological term was the "biggest blunder" he…
Galina WeinsteinOct 3, 2013
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Is the world made of loops?
I see no good reason to prefer (any version I know of) the `holonomy interpretation' to the `potential interpretation' of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Everyone agrees that the inverse image…
Alexander AfriatSep 28, 2013
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Analemmatic and Horizontal Sundials of the Bronze Age (Northern Black Sea Coast)
The paper presents the results of a study of unique plate with images of Srubna burial of tumuli group Popov Yar-2 (Ukraine) and plate of Srubna burial of tumulus field Tavriya-1 (Russia). A…
Larisa VodolazhskayaSep 26, 2013
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On first attempts to reconcile quantum principles with gravity
In his 1916's first paper on gravitational waves Einstein began to speculate on interactions between the principles of the old quantum theory and his theory of gravitation. With this contribution…
Alessio RocciSep 26, 2013
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The Mythical Snake which Swallows its Tail: Einstein's matter world
In 1917 Einstein introduced into his field equations a cosmological term having the cosmological constant as a coefficient, in order that the theory should yield a static universe. Einstein desired…
Galina WeinsteinSep 25, 2013
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The Astronomical and Ethnological Components of the Cult of Bird-Man on Easter Island
The bird-man cult remains the main secret of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), a remote plot of land in the Pacific. This paper includes not only necessary ethnological data, but also some results on the…
Sergei RjabchikovSep 24, 2013
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Reconsidering Written Language
A number of elite thinkers in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries pursued an agenda which historian Paolo Rossi calls the "quest for a universal language," a quest which was deeply…
Gopal SarmaSep 24, 2013
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From the No-Signaling Theorem to Veiled Nonlocality
According to the no-signaling theorem, the nonlocal collapse of the wavefunction of an entangled particle by the measurement on its twin particle at a remote location cannot be used to send useful…
Subhash KakSep 24, 2013
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The British Astronomical Association and the Great War of 1914-1918
Marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, this paper considers the effect of the war on the BAA and pays tribute to some of its members who were involved in the conflict.
Jeremy ShearsSep 20, 2013
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The Reverend Walter Bidlake of Crewe
The Reverend Walter Bidlake, MA, FRAS, JP (1865-1938) was vicar of Crewe, England, for some 21 years. A member of the BAA, he was a keen amateur astronomer with an interest in celestial photography.…
Jeremy ShearsSep 20, 2013
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Frank McClean and the Ferncliffe Observatory at Tunbridge Wells
This short note describes the observatory of the pioneering spectroscopist, Frank McClean (1837-1907), at Tunbridge Wells in England
Jeremy ShearsSep 20, 2013
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The genesis of the quantum theory of the chemical bond
An historical overview is given of the relevant steps that allowed the genesis of the quantum theory of the chemical bond, starting from the appearance of the new quantum mechanics and following…
S. Esposito, A. NaddeoSep 18, 2013
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Field equations or conservation laws?
We explicate some epistemological implications of stationary principles and in particular of Noether Theorems. Noether's contribution to the problem of covariance, in fact, is epistemologically…
Mauro Francaviglia, Marcella Palese, Ekkehart WinterrothSep 17, 2013
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On the Carroll-Chen Model
I argue that the Carroll-Chen cosmogenic model does not provide a plausible scientific explanation of our universe's initial low-entropy state.
Christopher Gregory WeaverSep 17, 2013
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Mass, Speed, Direction: John Buridan's 14th century concept of momentum
In the 14th century the French thinker John Buridan developed a theory of motion that bears a strong resemblance to Newtonian momentum. Buridan's ideas include a quantity of motion which is…
Christopher M. GraneySep 17, 2013
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