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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 50

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Donald Lynden-Bell: A Biographical Memoir
Donald Lynden-Bell's many contributions to astrophysics encompass general relativity, galactic dynamics, telescope design and observational astronomy. In the 1960s, his papers on stellar dynamics led…
N. W. EvansJul 18, 2020
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Georges Lemaitre and the Foundations of Big Bang Cosmology
Georges Lemaitre was a remarkable contributor to the advancement of cosmology in the heady years following two great revolutions in theoretical physics in the last century: general relativity and…
Simon A. MittonJul 18, 2020
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How Humean is Bohumianism?
An important part of the influential Humean doctrine in philosophy is the supervenience principle (sometimes referred to as the principle of separability). This principle asserts that the complete…
Tomasz Bigaj, Antonio VassalloJul 15, 2020
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The Double Eclipse at the Downfall of Old Babylon
For many decades scholars converse how to correctly include the Old Babylonian Empire into the absolute timeline of history. A cuneiform text from the series Enuma Anu Enlil (EAE #20) reports on the…
Emil KhalisiJul 14, 2020
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James Chadwick: ahead of his time
James Chadwick is known for his discovery of the neutron. Many of his earlier findings and ideas in the context of weak and strong nuclear forces are much less known. This biographical sketch…
Gerhard EckerJul 14, 2020
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A Man Misunderstood: Von Neumann did not claim that his entropy corresponds to the phenomenological thermodynamic entropy
Recently, attention has returned to the now-famous 1932 thought experiment in which John von Neumann establishes the form of the quantum mechanical von Neumann entropy -Tr …
Erin SheridanJul 13, 2020
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Agency in Physics
I discuss three aspects of the notion of agency from the standpoint of physics: (i) what makes a physical system an agent; (ii) the reason for agency's time orientation; (iii) the source of the…
Carlo RovelliJul 10, 2020
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Neutral monism, perspectivism and the quantum dualism: An essay
Quantum mechanics in the Wigner-von Neumann interpretation is presented. This is characterized by 1) a quantum dualism between matter and consciousness unified within an informational neutral monism,…
Badis YdriJul 9, 2020
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Large gauge transformations, gauge invariance, and the QCD θYM-term
The eliminative view of gauge degrees of freedom -- the view that they arise solely from descriptive redundancy and are therefore eliminable from the theory -- is a lively topic of debate in the…
Henrique Gomes, Aldo RielloJul 8, 2020
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Time-energy uncertainty does not create particles
In this contribution in honour of Paul Busch, we criticise the claims of many expositions that the time-energy uncertainty principle allows both a violation of energy conservation, and particle…
Bryan W. Roberts, Jeremy ButterfieldJul 6, 2020
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Is the standard quantum mechanics a completely nondeterministic theory?
It is argued that although quantum theory isn't an absolutely deterministic theory, it is partially deterministic. The approach followed here is in the framework of the standard (Copenhagen…
H. Razmi, J. BahreiniJul 4, 2020
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Measuring Quantum Superpositions (Or, "It is only the theory which decides what can be observed.")
In this work we attempt to confront the orthodox widespread claim present in the foundational literature of Quantum Mechanics (QM) according to which 'superpositions are never actually observed in…
Christian de RondeJul 2, 2020
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Mechanical model of the inhomogeneous Maxwell's equations and of Lorentz transformations
We present a mechanical model of a quasi-elastic body (aether) which reproduces Maxwell's equations with charges and currents. Major criticism against mechanical models of electrodynamics is that any…
Lachezar S. SimeonovJul 2, 2020
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Celestial Women of Africa
The indigenous astronomy in Africa and of Africans exhibits many of the same patterns as indigenous astronomy found in other parts of the world such as with agricultural calendars established by…
J. C. HolbrookJun 30, 2020
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Logical Analysis of Relativity Theory
We review the special theory of relativity kinematics and dynamics as well as the general theory of relativity under the aspect of logic.
Akira Kanda, Mihai Prunescu, Renata WongJun 27, 2020
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Felix Klein's "Uber die Integralform der Erhaltungss\"atze und die Theorie der r\"aumlich-geschlossenen Welt": an English translation
We present an English translation of a third 1918 paper by Felix Klein which follows up on his earlier work.
Chiang-Mei Chen, James M. Nester, Walter VogelJun 26, 2020
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Missing the point in noncommutative geometry
Noncommutative geometries generalize standard smooth geometries, parametrizing the noncommutativity of dimensions with a fundamental quantity with the dimensions of area. The question arises then of…
Nick Huggett, Fedele Lizzi, Tushar MenonJun 23, 2020
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Origins of the method to determine the CKM angle γ using B D K, D K S0π+π- decays
The angle γ of the Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa unitarity triangle is a benchmark parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics. A method to determine γ from $B D…
A. Ceccucci, T. Gershon, M. Kenzie et al.Jun 22, 2020
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Two Dogmas of Dynamicism
I critically discuss two dogmas of the "dynamical approach" to spacetime in general relativity, as advanced by Harvey Brown [Physical Relativity (2005) Oxford:Oxford University Press] and…
James Owen WeatherallJun 19, 2020
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Much ado about nothing: cosmological and anthropic limits of quantum fluctuations
This paper deals with the philosophical issues of the notion of nothingness and pre-inflationary stage of the universe in physical cosmology. We presuppose that, in addition to cosmological limits,…
Kristina ŠekrstJun 18, 2020
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The Kalam Cosmological Argument Meets The Mentaculus
According to the orthodox interpretation of bounce cosmologies, the universe was born from an entropy reducing phase in a previous universe. To defend the thesis that the whole of physical reality…
Daniel LinfordJun 16, 2020
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Big Bounce or Double Bang? A Reply to Craig and Sinclair on the Interpretation of Bounce Cosmologies
On the orthodox interpretation of bounce cosmologies, a preceding universe was compressed to a small size before ``bouncing'' to form the present expanding universe. William Lane Craig and James…
Daniel LinfordJun 14, 2020
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The development of a utopian city? Comparing land- and skyscapes in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristobal de la Laguna
We discuss the peculiar planning of the city of San Cristobal de La Laguna, in the Canary Island of Tenerife (Spain), when compared to the nearby and essentially contemporary Santa Cruz de Tenerife,…
Alejandro Gangui, Juan Antonio BelmonteJun 12, 2020
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The genesis of Hippachus' celestial globe
This paper summarises briefly and in English some of the results of the book Hoffmann: Hipparchs Himmelsglobus, Springer, 2017 that had to be written in German. The globe of Hipparchus is not…
Susanne M HoffmannJun 12, 2020
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When Science is a Game
What happens when scientists are, at certain points in a field's development, playing a game? I present a framework for such an analysis that draws on the theory of games provided by the historian…
Simon DeDeoJun 10, 2020
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