Refraction, the speed of light and minimal action: From Descartes to Maupertuis through many moreIn the 17th and 18th centuries, several natural philosophers studied the phenomenon of refraction and attempted to obtain the Snell law from various assumptions. Lacking experimental data, it was…Shahen Hacyan·Feb 29, 2024SaveLearn
An improved calendar ring hole-count for the Antikythera mechanismWe present a new analysis of the positions of holes beneath the calendar ring of the Antikythera mechanism, as measured by Budiselic et al. (2020). We significantly refine their estimate for the…Graham Woan, Joseph Bayley·Feb 29, 2024SaveLearn
C.V. Raman as a Science Communicator: A Historical PerspectiveC.V. Raman (1888 - 1970) was a creative scientist, enthusiastic teacher and a science celebrity in India. In all these roles, he communicated science effectively. In this essay, I ask how and why did…G. V. Pavan Kumar·Feb 27, 2024SaveLearn
Drude's lesser known error of a factor of two and Lorentz's correctionAs is well known, Paul Drude put forward the very first quantitative theory of electrical conduction in metals in 1900. He could successfully account for the Wiedemann-Franz law which states that the…Navinder Singh·Feb 27, 2024SaveLearn
The Dual Dynamical Foundation of Orthodox Quantum MechanicsThis paper combines mathematical, philosophical, and historical analyses in a comprehensive investigation of the dynamical foundations of the formalism of orthodox quantum mechanics. The results…Diana Taschetto, Ricardo Correa da Silva·Feb 23, 2024SaveLearn
Making Sense of Gravitational ThermodynamicsThe use of statistical methods to model gravitational systems is crucial to physics practice, but the extent to which thermodynamics and statistical mechanics genuinely apply to these systems is a…Lorenzo Lorenzetti·Feb 18, 2024SaveLearn
Physics, scientific investigation and society in Argentina, 1920-1930We analyse the scientific research carried out at the Institute of Physics of the National University of La Plata in the first half of the 20th century, and the cultural and social context in which…Alejandro Gangui, Eduardo L. Ortiz·Feb 14, 2024SaveLearn
Representational conventions and invariant structureIn the philosophical literature, symmetries of physical theories are most often interpreted within the general doctrine called 'Sophistication'. Roughly speaking, it says that models related by…Henrique Gomes·Feb 14, 2024SaveLearn
The history of the discovery of the physical quantum of action (Zur Geschichte der Auffindung des physikalischen Wirkungsquantums)This is an English (annotated) translation of the German paper by Max Planck (1943) about "The history of the discovery of the physical quantum of action"Pascal Marquet, Max Planck·Feb 12, 2024SaveLearn
The principle of the conservation of energy (Das Princip der Erhaltung der Energie)This is an English (annotated) translation of the German paper by Max Planck (1887) about "The principle of the conservation of energy"Pascal Marquet, Max Planck·Feb 12, 2024SaveLearn
On the equilibrium states of isotropic bodies at different temperatures (\"Uber Gleichgewichtszust\"ande isotroper K\"orper in verschiedenen Temperaturen)This is an English (annotated) translation of the Habilitation-Thesis report (in German) of Max Planck at the University of Munich (1880)Pascal Marquet, Max Planck·Feb 12, 2024SaveLearn
About the second law of mechanical heat theory (\"Uber den zweiten Hauptsatz der mechanischen W\"armetheorie)This is an English (annotated) translation of the Thesis report (in German) of Max Planck at the University of Munich (1879)Pascal Marquet, Max Planck·Feb 12, 2024SaveLearn
Berta Karlik -- The Grande Dame of the Vienna Radium InstituteBerta Karlik was an Austrian physicist who was not only among the early radioactivity researchers and nuclear physicists in Vienna, but also pioneered a woman's academic career in Austria. She was…Brigitte Strohmaier·Feb 8, 2024SaveLearn
Quantum ontology de-naturalized: What we can't learn from quantum mechanicsPhilosophers of science commonly connect ontology and science, stating that these disciplines maintain a two-way relationship: on the one hand, we can extract ontology from scientific theories; on…Raoni Arroyo, Jonas R. Becker Arenhart·Feb 8, 2024SaveLearn
Yuri Lvovich Klimontovich, his theory of fluctuations and its impact on the kinetic theoryYuri L'vovich Klimontovich (28.09.1924--26.10.2002) was an outstanding theoretical physicist who made major contributions to kinetic theory. On the occasion of his 100th birthday we recall his main…Michael Bonitz, Anatoly Zagorodny·Feb 7, 2024SaveLearn
Towards a process-based approach to consciousness and collapse in quantum mechanicsAccording to a particular interpretation of quantum mechanics, the causal role of human consciousness in the measuring process is called upon to solve a foundational problem called the "measurement…Raoni Arroyo, Lauro de Matos Nunes Filho, Frederik Moreira dos Santos·Feb 6, 2024SaveLearn
Does E=mc2 Require Relativity?It is universally believed that with his 1905 paper "Does the inertia of a body depend on its energy content?" Einstein first demonstrated the equivalence of mass and energy by making use of his…Tony Rothman·Feb 6, 2024SaveLearn
Quantum panprotopsychism and the combination problemWe will argue that a phenomenological analysis of consciousness, similar to that of Husserl, shows that the effects of phenomenal qualities shape our perception of the world. It also shows the way…Rodolfo Gambini, Jorge Pullin·Feb 4, 2024SaveLearn
Solitons, dispersive shock waves and Noel Fredrick SmythNoel Frederick Smyth (NFS), a Fellow of the Australian Mathematical Society and a Professor of Nonlinear Waves in the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, passed away on February 5,…Saleh Baqer, Tim Marchant, Gaetano Assanto et al.·Feb 2, 2024SaveLearn
The development of the concept of exchange forces in the 1930s: close encounters between Europe and Japan and the birth of nuclear theoryThe onset and the development of the concept of exchange force in quantum physics are historically reconstructed, starting from Heisenberg's seminal contributions in 1926 and going through the great…Marco Di Mauro, Salvatore Esposito, Adele Naddeo·Jan 31, 2024SaveLearn
The Smoke of ZaanenTheoretical physics suffered a major loss with the death of my dear friend Jan Zaanen on January 18. This note is my remembrance of him.Philip W. Phillips·Jan 31, 2024SaveLearn
The physicists philosophy of physicsI argue that research in physics operates under an implicit community philosophy, and I offer a definition I think physicists would accept, by and large. I compare this definition to what…P. J. E. Peebles·Jan 29, 2024SaveLearn
Robustness and the Event Horizon Telescope: the case of the first image of M87*We examine the justification for taking the Event Horizon Telescope's famous 2019 image to be a reliable representation of the region surrounding a black hole. We argue that it takes the form of a…Juliusz Doboszewski, Jamee Elder·Jan 29, 2024SaveLearn
Pannekoek's GalaxyAntonie (Anton) Pannekoek (1873-1960) is remembered as one of the initiators of the field of stellar atmospheres. A second part of his research concerned Galactic astronomy. He was convinced that the…Pieter C. van der Kruit·Jan 27, 2024SaveLearn
En Route to Reduction: Lorentzian Manifolds and Causal SetsI present aspects of causal set theory (a research programme in quantum gravity) as being en route to achieving a reduction of Lorentzian geometry to causal sets. I take reduction in philosophers'…Jeremy Butterfield·Jan 27, 2024SaveLearn