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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 18

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An examination of 'Atri's Eclipse' as described in the Rig Veda
The earliest written reference in Indian astronomy to a total solar eclipse is in the Rig Veda where Rishi Atri is said to have demolished the asura Swarbhanu to liberate the Sun from a total solar…
Mayank Vahia, Misturu SomaJul 29, 2024
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All roads lead to (New) Rome: Byzantine astronomy and geography in a rapidly changing world
During the first few centuries CE, the centre of the known world gradually shifted from Alexandria to Constantinople. Combined with a societal shift from pagan beliefs to Christian doctrines,…
Richard de GrijsJul 23, 2024
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In Which Sense Can We Say That First-Class Constraints Generate Gauge Transformations?
In this paper, I consider a recent controversy about whether first-class constraints generate gauge transformations in the case of electromagnetism. I argue that there is a notion of gauge…
Álvaro Mozota FraucaJul 23, 2024
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Univalence and Ontic Structuralism
The persistent challenge of formulating ontic structuralism in a rigorous manner, which prioritizes structures over the entities they contain, calls for a transformation of traditional logical…
Lu ChenJul 19, 2024
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Symmetries as Isomorphisms
Symmetries and isomorphisms play similar conceptual roles when we consider how models represent physical situations, but they are formally distinct, as two models related by symmetries are not…
Lu ChenJul 19, 2024
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What Gibbsian Statistical Mechanics Says: Defending Bare Probabilism
I expound and defend the ``bare probabilism'' reading of Gibbsian (i.e. mainstream) statistical mechanics, responding to Frigg and Werndl's recent (BJPS 72 (2021), 105-129) plea: ``can somebody…
David WallaceJul 18, 2024
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Why you do not need to worry about the standard argument that you are a Boltzmann brain
Are you, with your perceptions, memories and observational data, a Boltzmann brain, namely a fleeting statistical fluctuation out of the thermal equilibrium of the universe? Arguments are given in…
Carlo Rovelli, David WolpertJul 18, 2024
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How the Michelson and Morley experiment was reinterpreted by special relativity
We elucidate how different theoretical assumptions bring about radically different interpretations of the same experimental result. We do this by analyzing special relativity as it was originally…
Alejandro Cassini, Leonardo LevinasJul 17, 2024
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Personal Reminiscences of Steven Weinberg
My personal recollections are presented regarding my interactions with Steven Weinberg and the impact he had in my career from when I was his graduate student until the present.
Fernando QuevedoJul 14, 2024
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The Time in Thermal Time
Preparing general relativity for quantization in the Hamiltonian approach leads to the `problem of time,' rendering the world fundamentally timeless. One proposed solution is the `thermal time…
Eugene Y. S. ChuaJul 11, 2024
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Physics, scientific investigation and society in Argentina, 1930-1940
In this paper we continue our study of the scientific research carried out at the Institute of Physics of the National University of La Plata during the first half of the 20th century, and of the…
Alejandro Gangui, Eduardo L. OrtizJul 11, 2024
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Is there something missing from the Antikythera Mechanism? Was it a mechanical Planetarium, positioner? or a Luni solar Time calculator device? Reconstructing the lost parts of b1 gear and its Cover Disc
We present the observations and the results of our experience from a large number of flight hours in constructing, handling, testing, studying and interacting with our Antikythera Mechanism…
Aristeidis Voulgaris, Christophoros Mouratidis, Andreas Vossinakis et al.Jul 8, 2024
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Is time one-dimensional?
In the History of Ideas, a succession of philosophical and scientific achievements, concerning the concept of space and its dimensionality, were essential to contribute, after a long period, to the…
Francisco CarusoJul 4, 2024
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Princeton seminars on physics and philosophy
These are lectures notes prepared for a series of seminars I am invited to give at Princeton Philosophy Department in November 2024. They cover the conceptual structure of quantum gravity, the…
Carlo RovelliJul 2, 2024
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Three Myths in Complexity Science and How to Resolve Them
From bird flocking to neural dynamics, complex systems generate fascinating structures and correlations. Often, seemingly simple dynamics lead to intricate emergent properties. Despite their visceral…
Casper van ElterenJul 1, 2024
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How do Laws Produce the Future?
The view that the laws of nature produce later states of the universe from earlier ones (prominently defended by Maudlin) faces difficult questions as to how the laws produce the future and whether…
Charles T. SebensJun 28, 2024
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The Classical Limit of Teleparallel Gravity
I consider the classical (i.e., non-relativistic) limit of Teleparallel Gravity, a relativistic theory of gravity that is empirically equivalent to General Relativity and features torsional forces. I…
Helen MeskhidzeJun 25, 2024
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Quantum Mechanics as a Carnapian Language
The paper discusses Carnap's claim that a proper philosophical analysis of quantum mechanics, including a determination of whether its logic has to be revised, requires a rational reconstruction of…
Iulian D. ToaderJun 23, 2024
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Are General Relativity and Teleparallel Gravity Theoretically Equivalent?
Teleparallel gravity shares many qualitative features with general relativity, but differs from it in the following way: whereas in general relativity, gravitation is a manifestation of space-time…
James Owen Weatherall, Helen MeskhidzeJun 22, 2024
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The Reasonable Ineffectiveness of Aesthetics in Particle Physics
In recent years, criticism of the methodology of particle physics beyond the Standard Model has increased, diagnosing too much reliance on aesthetic criteria for theory development and evaluation.…
Johannes BranahlJun 22, 2024
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Quantum Systems Other Than the Universe
How should we interpret physical theories, and especially quantum theory, if we drop the assumption that we should treat it as an exact description of the whole Universe? I expound and develop the…
David WallaceJun 18, 2024
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A path to Balmer's formula: the Pythagorean search for simplicity and harmony
A derivation of Balmer's formula is presented, guided by the principles of simplicity and harmony.
D V RedzicJun 10, 2024
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The two-spin enigma: from the helium atom to quantum ontology
The purpose of this article is to provide a novel approach and justification of the idea that classical physics and quantum physics can neither function nor even be conceived one without the other -…
Philippe Grangier, Alexia Auffeves, Nayla Farouki et al.Jun 7, 2024
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Von Neumann's 1927 Trilogy on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. Annotated Translations
English translation of John von Neumann's 1927 trilogy on the foundations of quantum mechanics with an introduction and detailed commentary.
Anthony DuncanJun 4, 2024
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Myths of Nuclear Graphite in World War II, with Original Translations
We re-examine a common narrative that experimental errors by Walther Bothe in 1941 led Germany to abandon graphite as a reactor moderator during World War II. Using document-based nuclear…
Patrick J. Park, Sebastian Herzele, Timothy W. KoethMay 31, 2024
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