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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 111

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Arthur Neville Brown: schoolmaster and variable star observer
Arthur Neville Brown, MA, FRAS (1864-1934) was a prolific variable star observer and served for many years as Secretary of the BAA Variable Star Section. This paper discusses Brown's life and…
Jeremy ShearsSep 18, 2012
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The astronomizings of Dr. Anderson and the curious case of his disappearing nova
Dr. Thomas David Anderson (1853-1932) was a Scottish amateur astronomer famed for his discovery of two bright novae: Nova Aurigae 1891 and Nova Persei 1901. He also discovered more than 50 variable…
Jeremy ShearsSep 18, 2012
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F.W. Longbottom: astronomical photographer and founder of the Chester Astronomical Society
Frederick William Longbottom FRAS (1850-1933) was an original member of the British Astronomical Association and served as Director of its Photographic Section between 1906 and 1926. A hop merchant…
Jeremy ShearsSep 18, 2012
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The History of Astrometry
The history of astrometry, the branch of astronomy dealing with the positions of celestial objects, is a lengthy and complex chronicle, having its origins in the earliest records of astronomical…
Michael PerrymanSep 17, 2012
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Lattice Gauge Theory and the Origin of Mass
Most of the mass of everyday objects resides in atomic nuclei; the total of the electrons' mass adds up to less than one part in a thousand. The nuclei are composed of nucleons---protons and…
Andreas S. KronfeldSep 16, 2012
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Measurement Theory in the Philosophy of Science
The philosophy of science is a discipline concerning the metaphysical aspect of science. Recently, I proposed measurement theory, which is characterized as the metaphysical and linguistic…
Shiro IshikawaSep 16, 2012
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Da Gauss a Einstein
The present short essay, of essentially historical nature, aims at describing the transition from the Euclidean-Newtonian space-time geometry of Classical Physics to the Pseudoriemannian geometry of…
C. Lo SurdoSep 12, 2012
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Ad Orientem: the Orientation of Gothic Cathedrals of France
Here the orientation of the Gothic cathedrals in France is discussed and investigated using the satellite maps. Except a few of them, these buildings have the apse facing the rising sun, according to…
Amelia Carolina SparavignaSep 11, 2012
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The different paths to entropy
In order to undestand how the complex concept of entropy emerged,we propose a trip towards the past reviewing the works of Clausius, Boltzmann, Gibbs and Planck. In particular, since the Gibbs's…
L. BenguiguiSep 11, 2012
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Light and Shadows over Petra: astronomy and landscape in Nabataean lands
The Nabateans built several monuments in Petra and elsewhere displaying a decoration with a preference for astronomical motifs, possibly as a reflection of their religion. However, due to the lack of…
J. A. Belmonte, A. C. Gonzalez-Garcia, A. PolcaroSep 7, 2012
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Is There a Unique Physical Entropy? Micro versus Macro
Entropy in thermodynamics is an extensive quantity, whereas standard methods in statistical mechanics give rise to a non-extensive expression for the entropy. This discrepancy is often seen as a sign…
Dennis DieksSep 5, 2012
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Orientations of linear stone arrangements in New South Wales
We test the hypothesis that Aboriginal linear stone arrangements in New South Wales (NSW) are oriented to cardinal directions. We accomplish this by measuring the azimuths of stone arrangements…
Duane W. Hamacher, Robert S. Fuller, Ray P. NorrisSep 2, 2012
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Atmospheric ionization and cosmic rays: studies and measurements before 1912
The discovery of cosmic rays, a milestone in science, was based on the work by scientists in Europe and the New World and took place during a period characterised by nationalism and lack of…
Alessandro De AngelisAug 31, 2012
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A Theory of the Knowledge Industry
This paper deals with the social production of knowledge in the exact sciences. After defining the term, exact science, it delineates the broad dynamic of its history. It, then, offers a…
Hisham GhassibAug 28, 2012
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Experimental Reconstruction of Lomonosov's Discovery of Venus's Atmosphere with Antique Refractors During the 2012 Transit of Venus
In 1761, the Russian polymath Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov (1711-1765) discovered the atmosphere of Venus during its transit over the Sun's disc. In this paper we report on experimental…
Alexandre Koukarine, Igor Nesterenko, Yuri Petrunin et al.Aug 27, 2012
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Early Atomic Models - From Mechanical to Quantum (1904-1913)
A complete history of early atomic models would fill volumes, but a reasonably coherent tale of the path from mechanical atoms to the quantum can be told by focusing on the relevant work of three…
Charles BailyAug 26, 2012
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Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos and Aim-Oriented Empiricism
In this paper I argue that aim-oriented empiricism (AOE), a conception of natural science that I have defended at some length elsewhere, is a kind of synthesis of the views of Popper, Kuhn and…
Nicholas MaxwellAug 26, 2012
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Criteria of Science, Cosmology, and Lessons of History
Perhaps more than any other of the physical sciences, cosmology exemplifies the inevitable contact between science and philosophy, including the problem of the demarcation criteria that distinguish…
Helge KraghAug 26, 2012
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On The Theoretical Problematic of Arabic Physical Science Or Why Did Arabic Science Fail To Achieve The Copernican Revolution?
A Hegelian version of the concept of problematic is used to investigate the underlying theoretical unity and structure of Arabic physical science (physics, astronomy and chemistry). A contradictory…
Hisham GhassibAug 26, 2012
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A Theory of Scientific Practice
This paper avers that science is not demarcated from other disciplines by a specific unique methodology, but by its specific scientific rationality and rational grounds. In this context, the notion…
Hisham GhassibAug 26, 2012
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Einstein's Pathway to the Equivalence Principle 1905-1907
Between 1905 and 1907, Einstein first tried to extend the special theory of relativity in such a way so as to explain gravitational phenomena. This was the most natural and simplest path to be taken.…
Galina WeinsteinAug 25, 2012
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On emergence in gauge theories at the 't Hooft limit
The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better conceptual understanding of gauge quantum field theories, such as quantum chromodynamics, by discussing a famous physical limit, the 't Hooft…
Nazim Bouatta, Jeremy ButterfieldAug 24, 2012
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Biography of eight astronomers and physicists
We provide a brief biography of seven French astronomers and physicists and of a Russian astronomer from the 19th and 20th centuries. Roger Bouigue (1920-) was the director of Toulouse Observatory in…
Emmanuel DavoustAug 23, 2012
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The solar towers of Chankillo
An ancient solar observatory is composed by thirteen towers lined on a hill of a coastal desert of Peru. This is the Chankillo observatory. Here we discuss it, showing some simulations of the local…
Amelia Carolina SparavignaAug 17, 2012
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Eight Physicists and Astronomers: Biographical Portraits
This essay provides concise biographical information about eight physicists, astronomers, astrophysicists, and cosmologists from the twentieth century. The portrayed scientists are Hermann Bondi…
Helge KraghAug 15, 2012
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