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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 138

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The disaster of the Nazi-power in science as reflected by some leading journals and scientists in physics - A bibliometric study
The consequences of the Nazi-power for the scientific process are described qualitatively in various articles and books. However, recent progress in information systems allows a quantitative…
Manuel Cardona, Werner MarxDec 6, 2004
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Copernican Cosmography in the First Mexican Physics Treatise
Copernican Cosmography was used to discover the path linking Cebu islands and Acapulco via Kuro-Shivo Stream, as registered in Physica Speculatio, first physics book written in New Spain. Teaching…
Armando BarrañónNov 27, 2004
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Polygonal walls and the astronomical alignments of the Acropolis of Alatri, Italy: a preliminary investigation
The astronomical orientation of the acropolis of Alatri, Italy, is analyzed. The results support the idea that this town, with its magnificent polygonal walls, was constructed well before the Roman…
Giulio MagliNov 14, 2004
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Lorentz's electromagnetic mass: a clue for unification?
We review in the present article the conjecture of electromagnetic mass by Lorentz. The philosophical perspectives and historical accounts of this idea are described, especially, in the light of…
Saibal RayNov 12, 2004
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Use of Hamilton's canonical equations to rectify Newton's corpuscular theory of light: A missed opportunity
The erroneous prediction of the speed of light in dispersive media has been looked upon historically as unequivocal proof that Newton's corpuscular theory is incorrect. Examination of his…
Robert J. BuenkerNov 10, 2004
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The Lorentz Transformation Sign Ambiguity and Its Relation to Measured Faster-than-c Photon Speeds
It is shown that time intervals Delta t' measured for photons moving with speed v > c can be of the same sign for all observers according to special relativity, thereby avoiding any violation of…
Robert J. BuenkerNov 10, 2004
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Mendeleev and the Periodic Table of Elements
This note presents reasons why Mendeleev chose Sanskrit names (now superseded) for eight elements in the periodic table.
Subhash KakNov 10, 2004
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The Particle Problem in Classical Gravity: A historical note on 1941
This note is based on a relatively unknown paper of Albert Einstein published in 1941 in the Revista de la Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. That work can be regarded as the prequel of the one written…
Mariano Galvagno, Gaston GiribetNov 4, 2004
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Anthropic Reasoning in Cosmology: A Historical Perspective
This paper explores the evolution of the so called "anthropic reasoning" in a historical perspective. It takes under scrutiny the appearance of "anthropic" considerations in various…
Stefano BettiniOct 19, 2004
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Local spinor structures in V. Fock's and H. Weyl's work on the Dirac equation (1929)
In early 1929, V. Fock (initially in collaboration with D. Iwanenko) and H. Weyl developed independently from each other a general relativistic generalization of the Dirac equation. In the core, they…
Erhard ScholzSep 30, 2004
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More on the early interpretation of the Schwarzschild solution
Lemaitre was apparently the first to make an explicit coordinate transformation resulting in the removal of the singularity at r = a = 2m in the Schwarzschild metric, while Lanczos was the first to…
Andre GsponerAug 23, 2004
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The relations of the homogeneous Maxwell's equations to the theory of functions
The thesis developed by Cornelius Lanczos in his doctoral dissertation is that electrodynamics is a pure field theory which is hyperanalytic over the algebra of biquaternions. In this theory…
Cornelius LanczosAug 17, 2004
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On the astronomical content of the sacred landscape of Cusco in Inka times
The sacred landscape of the Inka capital Cusco was conceived in accordance with a complex cosmographic view in which religion and astronomy were intimately connected. Some previously unnoticed…
Giulio MagliAug 9, 2004
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On the possible discovery of precessional effects in ancient astronomy
The possible discovery of astronomical effects due to precession - such as the shift in the declination of heliacal raising of bright stars or the precession of the equinoxes - is reviewed for…
Giulio MagliAug 1, 2004
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Mach's Principle
We briefly review the history of Mach's principle and discuss its significance in the light of modern physics.
Herbert Lichtenegger, Bahram MashhoonJul 14, 2004
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The (absence of a) relationship between thermodynamic and logical reversibility
Landauer erasure seems to provide a powerful link between thermodynamics and information processing (logical computation). The only logical operations that require a generation of heat are logically…
O. J. E. MaroneyJun 27, 2004
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Rank distributions of words in additive many-step Markov chains and the Zipf law
The binary many-step Markov chain with the step-like memory function is considered as a model for the analysis of rank distributions of words in stochastic symbolic dynamical systems. We prove that…
K. E. Kechedzhy O. V. Usatenko, V. A. Yampol'skiiJun 22, 2004
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Fermi, Majorana and the statistical model of atoms
We give an account of the appearance and first developments of the statistical model of atoms proposed by Thomas and Fermi, focusing on the main results achieved by Fermi and his group in Rome.…
E. Di Grezia, S. EspositoJun 8, 2004
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Helicity Basis for Spin 1/2 and 1
We study the theory of the (1/2,0)+(0,1/2) and (1,0)+(0,1) representations in the helicity basis. The helicity eigenstates are not the parity eigenstates. This is in accordance with the idea of…
Valeri V. Dvoeglazov, J. L. Quintanar GonzalezJun 7, 2004
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On the Origin of Kaluza's Idea of Unification
We argue that the starting point of Kaluza's idea of unifying electrodynamics and gravity was the analogy between gravitation and electromagnetism which was pointed out by Einstein and Thirring.…
Y. Verbin, N. K. NielsenJun 3, 2004
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Field equations in teleparallel spacetime: Einstein's Fernparallelismus approach towards unified field theory
A historical account of Einstein's 'Fernparallelismus' approach towards a unified field theory of gravitation and electromagnetism is given. In this theory, a space-time characterized by…
Tilman SauerMay 26, 2004
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Hilbert's 'World Equations' and His Vision of a Unified Science
In summer 1923, a year after his lectures on the `New Foundation of Mathematics' and half a year before the republication of his two notes on the `Foundations of Physics,' Hilbert delivered a…
Ulrich Majer, Tilman SauerMay 20, 2004
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How Were the Hilbert--Einstein Equations Discovered?
The pathways along which A. Einstein and D. Hilbert independently came to the gravitational field equations are traced. Some of the papers that assert a point of view on the history of the derivation…
A. A. Logunov, M. A. Mestvirishvili, V. A. PetrovMay 14, 2004
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Halley's comet of 87 BC on the coins of Armenian king Tigranes?
Coins of Armenian king Tigranes II the Great (95-55 BC), silver and copper-bronze tetradrachms and drachms, clearly reveal a star with a tail on the royal tiara which may be associated with the…
V. G. Gurzadyan, R. VardanyanMay 14, 2004
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Albert Einstein's 1916 Review Article on General Relativity
The first comprehensive overview of the final version of the general theory of relativity was published by Einstein in 1916 after several expositions of preliminary versions and latest revisions of…
Tilman SauerMay 13, 2004
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