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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 43

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Science Spoofs, Physics Pranks and Astronomical Antics
Some scientists take themselves and their work very seriously. However, there are plenty of cases of humour being combined with science. Here I review some examples from the broad fields of physics…
Douglas ScottMar 31, 2021
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Nouvelle theorie des taches du Soleil, by E. Pezenas (1692-1776). A fully annoted edition of a manuscript
The manuscript New Theory of Sunspots was identified and attributed to the Jesuit astronomer and hydrographer from Marseille Esprit Pezenas (1692-1776) during the year 2002, during the systematic…
Esprit Pezenas, Guy BoistelMar 31, 2021
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The quest for the proton charge radius
A slight anomaly in optical spectra of the hydrogen atom led Willis E. Lamb to the search for the proton size. As a result, he found the shift of the 2S1/2 level, the first experimental demonstration…
Istvan AngeliMar 29, 2021
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Roman Jackiw and Chern-Simons theories
I recount my personal experience interacting with Roman Jackiw in the 1980s, when we both worked on Chern-Simons theories in three dimensions.
Robert D. PisarskiMar 29, 2021
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An analysis of the concept of inertial frame in classical physics and special theory of relativity
The concept of inertial frame of reference in classical physics and special theory of relativity is analysed. It has been shown that this fundamental concept of physics is not clear enough. A…
Boris ČulinaMar 29, 2021
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Universal Constants as Manifestations of Relativity
We study the possible interpretation of the "universal constants" by the classification of J.~M.~L\'evy-Leblond. and c are the most common example of constants of this type. Using Fock's…
A. A. SheykinMar 25, 2021
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In what sense space dimensionality can be used to cast light into cultural anthropology?
Humans have always constructed spaces, through Mythos and Logos, as part of an aspiration to capture the essence of the changing world. This has been a permanent endeavour since the invention of…
Francisco Caruso, Roberto Moreira XavierMar 23, 2021
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A Bayesian View on the Dr. Evil Scenario
In "Defeating Dr. Evil with Self-Locating Belief", Adam Elga proposes and defends a principle of indifference for self-locating beliefs: if an individual is confident that his world contains more…
Feraz Azhar, Alan H. Guth, Mohammad Hossein NamjooMar 23, 2021
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Argentina Atomic Power. 70 years after the most spectacular announcement: a dream, a disappointment and the origins of national nuclear development
"On February 16, 1951, at the atomic energy pilot plant on Huemul Island, San Carlos de Bariloche, thermonuclear reactions were carried out under control conditions on a technical scale." This is how…
Guillermo A. JorgeMar 18, 2021
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The ADM version of GR at Sixty: a brief account for historians
I review the meaning of General Relativity (GR), viewed as a dynamical field, rather than as geometry, as effected by the 1958-61 anti-geometrical work of ADM. This very brief non-technical summary,…
S. DeserMar 18, 2021
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Canadian Contributions to the Manhattan Project and Early Nuclear Research
During the second world war, Canada made several important contributions to the wartime work of the Manhattan Project. The three main contributions were: establishing a domestic nuclear research…
S. A. Andrews, M. T. Andrews, T. E. MasonMar 15, 2021
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Where was Mean Solar Time first adopted?
It is usually stated in the literature that Geneva was the first city to adopt mean solar time, in 1780, followed by London (or the whole of England) in 1792, Berlin in 1810 and Paris in 1816. In…
Simone BianchiMar 13, 2021
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When scale is surplus
We study a long-recognised but under-appreciated symmetry called "dynamical similarity" and illustrate its relevance to many important conceptual problems in fundamental physics. Dynamical…
Sean Gryb, David SloanMar 12, 2021
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Two proto-science-fiction novels written in French by 18th century women
With Cyrano, Voltaire, and Verne, France provided important milestones in the history of early science fiction. However, even if the genre was not very common a few centuries ago, there were numerous…
Yael NazeMar 11, 2021
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Who Invented the Trinity Nuclear Test's Christy Gadget? Patents and Evidence from the Archives
The Christy Gadget is the informal name for the plutonium device detonated in the Trinity test on July 16, 1945. In September 1944, Robert Christy, working in the theoretical implosion group,…
T. A. Chadwick, M. B. ChadwickMar 10, 2021
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Neutronics Calculation Advances at Los Alamos: Manhattan Project to Monte Carlo
The history and advances of neutronics calculations at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project through the present is reviewed. We briefly summarize early simpler, and more approximate neutronics…
A. Sood, R. A. Forster, B. J. Archer et al.Mar 10, 2021
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A New Assessment Statement for the Trinity Nuclear Test, 75 Years Later
New measurement and assessment techniques have been applied to the radiochemical re-evaluation of the Trinity Event. Thirteen trinitite samples were dissolved and analyzed using a combination of…
H. D. Selby, S. K. Hanson, D. Meininger et al.Mar 10, 2021
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On the origins of Lagrangian hydrodynamic methods
The intent of this paper is to discuss the history and origins of Lagrangian hydrodynamic methods for simulating shock driven flows. The majority of the pioneering research occurred within the…
N. R. Morgan, B. J. ArcherMar 10, 2021
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Gamma and Decay Energy Spectroscopy Measurements of Trinitite
We report gamma ray spectroscopy measurements of trinitite samples and analogous samples obtained from detonation sites in Nevada and Semipalatinsk, as well as in situ measurements of topsoil at the…
D. J. Mercer, K. E. Koehler, M. P. Croce et al.Mar 10, 2021
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The Taming of Plutonium: Pu Metallurgy and the Manhattan Project
We describe the wartime challenges associated with the rapid developments in plutonium chemistry and metallurgy that were necessary to produce the core of the Trinity Device. Beginning with microgram…
J. C. Martz, F. J. Freibert, D. L. ClarkMar 10, 2021
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Trinity by the Numbers: The Computing Effort that Made Trinity Possible
This article addresses shortcomings in the existing secondary literature describing the nature and involvement of computing at the World War II Los Alamos Lab. Utilizing rarely used source materials,…
N. LewisMar 10, 2021
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Comparison between historic nuclear explosion yield formulas
During the Manhattan project a simple formula was developed by Bethe and Feynman in 1943 to estimate the yield of a fission-only nuclear explosion of a uniformly-dense bare-sphere of supercritical…
J. P. Lestone, M. D. RosenMar 10, 2021
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The Origins of Blast Loaded Vessels
As the Manhattan Project shifted to the theory of implosion assembly in 1944, plutonium was extremely rare and large uncertainties surrounded the function of the Gadget. For these reasons, a team…
J. E. MorganMar 10, 2021
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Criticality Experiments with Fast 25 and 49 Metal and Hydride Systems During the Manhattan Project
Criticality experiments with 235U (metal and hydride) and 239Pu (metal) were performed during the Manhattan Project. Results from these experiments provided necessary information for the…
J. Hutchinson, J. Alwin, A. McSpaden et al.Mar 10, 2021
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Weapons Radiochemistry: Trinity and Beyond
On July 16, 1945, the Trinity nuclear test exploded in the desert near Alamogordo, NM. A variety of new diagnostic experiments were fielded in an effort to understand the detailed performance of the…
S. K. Hanson, W. J. OldhamMar 9, 2021
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