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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 92

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Monadic Dynamics
We develop a monadic framework formalising an operational notion of dynamics, seen as the setting and evolution of initial value problems, in general physical theories. We identify in the…
Stefano GogiosoJan 19, 2015
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Gravitation and the earth sciences: the contributions of Robert Dicke
The American physicist Robert Dicke (1916-1997) is primarily known for his important contributions to gravitation, cosmology, and microwave physics. Much less known is his work in geophysics and…
Helge KraghJan 18, 2015
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Contextual completeness and a classification scheme for theories
We discuss the role of propositions, truth, context and observers in scientific theories. We introduce the concept of generalized proposition and use it to define an algorithm for the classification…
George JaroszkiewiczJan 13, 2015
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M-history without the M
A review of the book "A Brief History of String Theory: From Dual Models to M-Theory" by Dean Rickles
M. J. DuffJan 11, 2015
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Was Lepenski Vir an ancient Sun or Pleiades observatory?
In this work we consider some old hypotheses according to which remarkable mesolithic village Lepenski Vir (9500 -- 5500 BC) at the right (nearly west) Danube riverside in the Iron gate in Serbia was…
Vladan Pankovic, Milan Mrdjen, Miodrag KrmarJan 6, 2015
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The universe would not be perfect without randomness: a quantum physicist's reading of Aquinas
Randomness is an unavoidable notion in discussing quantum physics, and this may trigger the curiosity to know more of its cultural history. This text is an invitation to explore the position on the…
Valerio ScaraniJan 5, 2015
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The search for longitude: Preliminary insights from a 17th Century Dutch perspective
In the 17th Century, the Dutch Republic played an important role in the scientific revolution. Much of the correspondence among contemporary scientists and their associates is now digitally available…
Richard de GrijsJan 4, 2015
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The Paradigm of Projectile Motion and its Consequences for Special Relativity. Making Sense of Physics
A new explanation for space contraction and time dilation in special relativity is offered based on kinetic energy differences between observers rather than velocity differences. The classical…
Paul A. KlevgardJan 3, 2015
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Maxwell-Huygens, Newton-Cartan, and Saunders-Knox Spacetimes
I address a question recently raised by Simon Saunders [Phil. Sci. 80(2): 22-48 (2013)] concerning the relationship between the spacetime structure of Newton-Cartan theory and that of what I will…
James Owen WeatherallDec 31, 2014
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Understand assumptions and know uncertainties: Boscovich and the motion of the Earth
The general prohibition of books advocating heliocentric theory put many progressive Jesuits in a difficult position. One of the most prominent Jesuit scientists of the 18th century, Rogerius…
Davor KrajnovicDec 30, 2014
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Tower bells and time zones, a history of synchronization
The Astrarium made by Jacopo Dondi dell'Orologio in Padua in 1344 is one of the first public horologia in the World, their public utility is also shown through the history of the tower bell of…
Costantino SigismondiDec 30, 2014
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The first winter solstice observed at the meridian line of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome
The page written by the astronomer Francesco Bianchini (1662-1729) and containing the data of the 1701 winter solstice observed at Santa Maria degli Angeli is presented for the first time in figure 2…
Costantino SigismondiDec 30, 2014
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The Bayesian Who Knew Too Much
In several papers, John Norton has argued that Bayesianism cannot handle ignorance adequately due to its inability to distinguish between neutral and disconfirming evidence. He argued that this…
Yann Benétreau-DupinDec 29, 2014
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Book Review of 'Evolutionary and Interpretive Archaeologies' Edited by Ethan E. Cochrane and Andrew Gardner
Evolutionary and Interpretive Archaeologies, edited by Ethan E. Cochrane and Andrew Gardner, grew out of a seminar at the Institute for Archaeology at University College London in 2007. It consists…
Liane Gabora, Carl P. LipoDec 28, 2014
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Half a Century with Quarks
A brief account of interesting moments in the genesis of the quark paradigm is presented.
Vladimir A. PetrovDec 28, 2014
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Applying Popper's Probability
Professor Sir Karl Popper (1902-1994) was one of the most influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century, best known for his doctrine of falsifiability. His axiomatic formulation of…
Alan B. WhitingDec 24, 2014
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Cosmological Ontology and Epistemology
In cosmology, we would like to explain our observations and predict future observations from theories of the entire universe. Such cosmological theories make ontological assumptions of what entities…
Don N. PageDec 23, 2014
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Einstein and Besso: from Zürich to Milano
The 1896-1901 Milanese period is a key one to understand Einstein's training background. When he was a student at the ETH in Zürich (the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zürich) from 1896 to 1900, he…
Christian BraccoDec 22, 2014
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Ettore Majorana: his work and his life
In this paper we present a panoramic view of the main scientific articles published by Ettore Majorana, the brightest Italian theoretical physicist of the XX century (actually, Enrico Fermi regarded…
Erasmo RecamiDec 20, 2014
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Measures of the Earth Obliquity during the 1701 Winter Solstice at the Clementine Meridian Line in Rome
The great meridian line in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome was built in 1701/1702 with the scope of measuring the obliquity of the Earth's orbit in the following eight centuries,…
Alexandre Humberto Andrei, Costantino Sigismondi, Veronica RegoliDec 18, 2014
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The Sequence of Events that led to the 1963 Publications in "Nature" of 3C273, the first Quasar and the first Extragalactic Radio Jet
We are undertaking a detailed investigation, based on the available evidence, of the sequence of events that led to the historical discovery of the first Quasar 3C273.
Cyril Hazard, David Jauncey, W. M. Goss et al.Dec 17, 2014
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Disregarding the 'Hole Argument'
Jim Weatherall has suggested that Einstein's hole argument, as presented by Earman and Norton (1987), is based on a misleading use of mathematics. I argue on the contrary that Weatherall demands…
Bryan W. RobertsDec 17, 2014
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Towards an Informational Pragmatic Realism
I discuss the design of the method of entropic inference as a general framework for reasoning under conditions of uncertainty. The main contribution of this discussion is to emphasize the pragmatic…
Ariel CatichaDec 17, 2014
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Stories from the Sky: Astronomy in Indigenous Knowledge
Indigenous Australian practices, developed and honed over thousands of years, weave science with storytelling. In this Indigenous science series, we'll look at different aspects of First…
Duane W. HamacherDec 16, 2014
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The Standard Model of Particle Physics
This is a historical account from my personal perspective of the development over the last few decades of the standard model of particle physics. The model is based on gauge theories, of which the…
Tom W. B. KibbleDec 12, 2014
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