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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 36

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Recollections of Richard Feynman
Brief recollections by the author of how he interacted with Feynman and was influenced by him.
James HartleMar 15, 2022
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100 years of mathematical cosmology: Models, theories, and problems
An elementary survey of mathematical cosmology is presented. We cover certain key ideas and developments in a qualitative way, from the time of the Einstein static universe in 1917 until today. We…
Spiros Cotsakis, Alexander P. YefremovMar 15, 2022
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An Epistemic Analysis of Time Phenomenon
In this work we present an epistemic analysis of time phenomenon using the mathematical machinery of information theory and modular theory. By adopting limited commitment to the ontology of time…
Farhang Hadad Farshi, Silvia DeBianchiMar 15, 2022
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One hundred years ago Alfred Land\'e unriddled the Anomalous Zeeman Effect and presaged Electron Spin
In order to commemorate Alfred Land\'e's unriddling of the anomalous Zeeman Effect a century ago, we reconstruct his seminal contribution to atomic physics in light of the atomic models available at…
Horst Schmidt-Böcking, Bretislav FriedrichMar 15, 2022
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Inverted analemmatic sundial of the Bronze Age
This article describes the study of a Bronze Age limestone slab with cup marks, discovered during the archaeological excavations of kurgan 1 of the kurgan grave field Prolom II, located in the…
Larisa N. VodolazhskayaMar 14, 2022
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Watching the Clocks: Interpreting the Page-Wootters Formalism and the Internal Quantum Reference Frame Programme
We discuss some difficulties that arise in attempting to interpret the Page-Wootters and Internal Quantum Reference Frames formalisms, then use a 'final measurement' approach to demonstrate that…
Emily AdlamMar 13, 2022
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An annotated translation from Latin of L. Euler's 'On the motion of boats propelled by oars in rivers'
Euler considers the following problem: A boat with a perfect rudder moves at constant speed across a stream flowing in straight fillets at assigned speeds. Assuming that the downstream velocity of…
Sylvio R. BistafaMar 11, 2022
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Why gauge? Conceptual Aspects of Gauge theories
This thesis is about conceptual aspects of gauge theories. Gauge theories lie at the heart of modern physics: in particular, they constitute the standard model of particle physics. At its simplest,…
Henrique GomesMar 10, 2022
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The Picture of Dorian Gray with roles reversed: Notes for a sensible chronology of the life and the activity of the Neapolitan optician Francesco Fontana (c. 1585-1656)
In the last few years it has been alleged the possible identification of the sitter in Jusepe de Ribera's Allegory of Sight with the Neapolitan optician Francesco Fontana (c. 1585-1656), known for…
Paolo Del SantoMar 8, 2022
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The Physics and Metaphysics of Pure Shape Dynamics
The goal of this essay is twofold. First, it provides a quick look at the foundations of modern relational mechanics by tracing its development from Julian Barbour and Bruno Bertotti's original ideas…
Antonio Vassallo, Pedro Naranjo, Tim KoslowskiMar 5, 2022
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Symplectic Reduction of Classical Mechanics on Shape Space
One of the foremost goals of research in physics is to find the most basic and universal theories that describe our universe. Many theories assume the presence of an absolute space and time in which…
Sahand Tokasi, Peter PicklFeb 25, 2022
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Integrating Dark Matter, Modified Gravity, and the Humanities
Editorial of a special issue on dark matter & modified gravity, distributed across the journals Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics and Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.…
Niels C. M. Martens, Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo, Erhard Scholz et al.Feb 23, 2022
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Solstices and Equinoxes in 1703 at the meridian line of St. Maria degli Angeli in Rome, and the stellar aberration of Sirius
The 1703 was the first year of full operation of the meridian line in the Basilica of St. Maria degli Angeli in Rome. The instants of solstices and equinoxes, the Anni Cardines, obtained by…
Costantino Sigismondi, Silvia PietroniFeb 22, 2022
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Astronomy at the University of Salamanca at the end of the 15th century. What "El Cielo de Salamanca" tells us
"El Cielo de Salamanca" ("The Sky of Salamanca") is a quarter-sphere-shaped vault 8.70 metres in diameter. It was painted sometime between 1480 and 1493 and shows five zodiacal constellations, three…
Carlos Tejero PrietoFeb 21, 2022
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In search of Einstein's brain
The author reflects on the significance of Einstein's brain and the search for what makes it distinct.
Steve C. WangFeb 21, 2022
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Bronze Age sundial from Prokletije (Montenegro)
The article presents the results of a study of signs on a Bronze Age slab "Sun stone" discovered at the foot of Maja e Can in Volusnica massif (Prokletije National Park, Montenegro). Studies have…
Milos Petricevic, Larisa VodolazhskayaFeb 16, 2022
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Quantization: History and Problems
In this work, I explore the concept of quantization as a mapping from classical phase space functions to quantum operators. I discuss the early history of this notion of quantization with emphasis on…
Andrea CarossoFeb 16, 2022
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The Genesis of the No-Boundary Wave Function of the Universe
Brief recollections by the author about how he and Stephen Hawking arrived at the theory of the No-Boundary Quantum State of the Universe
James HartleFeb 14, 2022
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Eternalism and the Problem of Hyperplanes
Eternalism is the view that the past, the present and the future exist simpliciter. A typical argument in favor of this view leans on the relativity of simultaneity. The 'equally real with' relation…
Matias SlavovFeb 14, 2022
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Recollections of the Feynman Lectures in Physics
Brief recollections by the author about how he contributed to the production of the Feynman Lectures in Physics
James HartleFeb 10, 2022
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Space as relation
Here we will discuss the philosophical differences between an approach to the deep nature of physical space based on the concept of coordinates and one based on the concept of relation. The…
Marcello PolettiFeb 7, 2022
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To See a World in a Grain of Sand -- The Scientific Life of Shoucheng Zhang
Our friend and colleague, Prof. Shoucheng Zhang, passed away in 2018, which was a great loss for the entire physics community. For all of us who knew Shoucheng, it is difficult to overcome the…
Biao Lian, Chao-Xing Liu, Xiao-Qi Sun et al.Feb 6, 2022
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Dark Matter Realism
According to the standard model of cosmology, LambdaCDM, the mass-energy budget of the current stage of the universe is not dominated by the luminous matter that we are familiar with, but instead by…
Niels C. M. MartensFeb 2, 2022
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Classical and relativistic n-body problem: from Levi-Civita to the most advanced interplanetary missions
The n-body problem is one of the most important issue in Celestial Mechanics. This article aims to retrace the historical and scientific events that led the Paduan mathematician, Tullio Levi-Civita,…
Sara Di RuzzaJan 31, 2022
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Two Roads to Retrocausality
In recent years the quantum foundations community has seen increasing interest in the possibility of using retrocausality as a route to rejecting the conclusions of Bell's theorem and restoring…
Emily AdlamJan 30, 2022
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