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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 139

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From "Not Wrong" to (Maybe) Right
This is a short, light spirited account of how some possibly important science actually happened. It very much conflicts with Popper's contention that the key to scientific progress is…
Frank WilczekMar 24, 2004
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Fifty Years of Yang-Mills Theory and my Contribution to it
On the fiftieth anniversary of Yang-Mills theory, I review the contribution to its understanding by my collaborators and me. Contents: 1.Gauge Theories and Quantum Anomalies; 2.Mathematical…
R. JackiwMar 23, 2004
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Minkowski space-time: a glorious non-entity
Einstein distinguished between ``principle'' and ``constructive'' theories in physics, and although he thought the latter were more explanatory than the former, he regarded his 1905…
Harvey R. Brown, Oliver PooleyMar 17, 2004
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Dashen-Frautschi Fiasco and Historical Roadmap for Strings
In 1964, Dashen and Frautschi published two papers in the Physical Review claiming that they calculated the neutron-proton mass difference. It was once regarded as a history-making calculation, in…
Y. S. KimMar 2, 2004
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The Many Dimensions of Dimension
Some aspects of the history and impact of the dimension revolution are briefly surveyed, starting with Nordstrom's D=5 scalar gravity-electromagnetism unification.
S. DeserFeb 19, 2004
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Antisymmetric Tensor Fields, 4-Potentials and Indefinite Metrics
We generalize the Stueckelberg formalism in the (1/2,1/2) representation of the Lorentz Group. Some relations to other modern-physics models are found.
Valeri V. DvoeglazovFeb 18, 2004
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Still Shrouded in Mystery: The Photon in 1925
We present a translation of Albert Einstein's Rio de Janeiro manuscript on light quanta. In it, Einstein evaluates the Bohr-Kramers-Slater refutation of light quanta, which was concurrently the…
Richard A. CamposFeb 18, 2004
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The Thermal Radiation Formula of Planck (1900)
We review the derivation of Planck's Radiation Formula on the light of recent studies in its centenary. We discuss specially the issue of discreteness, Planck's opinion on his discovery, and…
Luis J. BoyaFeb 12, 2004
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Following Weyl on Quantum Mechanics: the contribution of Ettore Majorana
After a quick historical account of the introduction of the group-theoretical description of Quantum Mechanics in terms of symmetries, as proposed by Weyl, we examine some unpublished papers by…
A. Drago, S. EspositoJan 13, 2004
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String Theory: a theory in search of an experiment
It is argued that string theory may pose new conceptual issues for the history and philosophy of science.
Howard J. SchnitzerDec 1, 2003
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Astronomy and the Fall of Babylon
This illustrated article represents a popular account of the study of the Babylonian astronomical records of Enuma Anu Enlil tablet series i.e. of the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa and of two lunar…
V. G. GurzadyanNov 24, 2003
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The Venus Tablet and Refraction
It is shown that the refraction near the horizon is introducing an additional bias into the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, which is able to influence the interpretation of the data. We then discuss the…
V. G. GurzadyanNov 8, 2003
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On the Astronomical Records and Babylonian Chronology
We outline the priority of high quality data of astronomical content as our strategy for the analysis of the ancient astronomical records in the search of the absolute chronology of the Near East in…
V. G. GurzadyanNov 8, 2003
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Analyzing shell structure from Babylonian and modern times
We investigate ``shell structure'' from Babylonian times: periodicities and beats in computer-simulated lunar data corresponding to those observed by Babylonian scribes some 2500 years ago.…
Lis Brack-Bernsen, Matthias BrackOct 24, 2003
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David Hilbert and the origin of the "Schwarzschild solution"
The very early dismissal of Schwarzschild's original solution and manifold, and the rise, under Schwarzschild's name, of the inequivalent solution and manifold found instead by Hilbert, are…
Salvatore AntociOct 21, 2003
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Indian Physics: Outline of Early History
Historians of science are generally unaware of the contributions of India to physics. The main reason for this is that very little research has been done on the subject in the recent past, a…
Subhash KakSep 30, 2003
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Three Interesting 15th and 16th Century Comet Sightings in Kashmiri Chronicles
This note is about three interesting 15th and 16th century sightings of comets in Kashmiri chronicles. We provide reasons for their identification as the 1468 S1, 1531 (Halley's), and 1533 M1…
Subhash KakSep 26, 2003
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Democritus as Taoist
While similarities do naturally exist between tao and other philosophical systems, for the specific case of Democritus we can argue also the chronological parallels, the parallels in the posterior…
Alejandro RiveroSep 25, 2003
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A Historical Note about how the Property was Discovered that Hydrogenated Substances Increase the Radioactivity Induced by Neutrons
At the "Domus Galilaeana" in Pisa, many original documents and records are kept, which belong to the scientific activity carried out by Enrico Fermi until 1938. I compared those documentary…
Alberto De GregorioSep 22, 2003
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Subject Access through Community Partnerships: A Case Study
Innovations in scholarly communication have resulted in changing roles for authors, publishers and libraries. Traditional roles are disappearing and players are actively seeking or reluctantly…
Patricia A. Kreitz, Travis C. BrooksSep 3, 2003
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Future Proof for Physics: Preserving the Record of SLAC
Paper provides a brief introduction to SLAC, discusses the origins of the SLAC Archives and History Office, its present-day operations, and the present and future challenges it faces in attempting to…
Jean Marie DekenAug 5, 2003
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On the astronomical orientation of the IV dynasty Egyptian pyramids and the dating of the second Giza pyramid
The data on the astronomical orientation of the IV dynasty Egyptian pyramids are re-analyzed and it is shown that such data suggest an inverse chronology between the `first` and the `second` Giza…
Giulio MagliAug 3, 2003
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The Life and Legacy of Pomeranchuk
The life of Isaak Yakovlevich Pomeranchuk was short (20.05.1913 -- 14.12.1966). But the impact of his personality and his works on physics and physicists is remarkable. The talk describes the…
L. B. OkunJul 24, 2003
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Comment on: "Sadi Carnot on Carnot's theorem"
Carnot established in 1824 that the efficiency ηC of reversible engines operating between a hot bath at absolute temperature Thot and a cold bath at temperature Tcold is equal to…
Jacques Arnaud, Laurent Chusseau, Fabrice PhilippeJul 22, 2003
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Physical Framework of Quantization Problem
The paper presents shortly the geometric approach to the problem of a general quantization formalism, both physically meaningful and mathematically consistent.
Marius GrigorescuJun 10, 2003
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