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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 96

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The wave equation in the birth of spacetime symmetries
In 1887 Voigt published a paper dedicated to the Doppler effect in which he demanded form invariance to the wave equation in inertial frames and obtained a set of spacetime transformations now known…
Ricardo HerasJul 13, 2014
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Truth problem in the context of interpretations of quantum logic
The paper defends the thesis that analysis of truth problem in the context of interpretations of quantum logic allows to reveal the prospect of elicitation of specifics of the relations between…
Sergey KulikovJul 10, 2014
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To Principles of Quantum Mechanics Development
New insight to the principles of the quantum physics development is given. The correct ways for the construction of new versions of quantum mechanics on the second main postulate base are discussed.…
Dmitri Yerchuck, Alla Dovlatova, Felix Borovik et al.Jul 9, 2014
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Lessons from the Milky Way: the Kapteyn Universe
Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn (1851-1922) presented a model for the distribution of stars in space together with a dynamical interpretation in terms of an equilibrium between the gravitational field of…
P. C. van der KruitJul 8, 2014
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Relativistic Lighthouses: The Role of the Binary Pulsar in proving the existence of Gravitational Waves
This paper discusses the role of the discovery and analysis of the first binary pulsar in settling the long-running quadrupole formula controversy over the status of gravitational waves as a…
Daniel KennefickJul 8, 2014
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Kenneth G. Wilson: Renormalized After-Dinner Anecdotes
This is the transcript of the after-dinner talk I gave at the close of the 16 Nov 2013 symposium "Celebrating the Science of Kenneth Geddes Wilson" [1] at Cornell University (see Fig. 1 for…
Paul GinspargJul 7, 2014
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Concluding Remarks: the Scientist that Lived Three Times
The highlights of the conference: The Legacy of Bruno Pontecorvo: the Scientist and the Man, held in Roma, Universit\`a La Sapienza, 11-12 September, 2013, are summarised and illustrated.
Luciano MaianiJul 5, 2014
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Uffenbach's "Zeitweiser" published 1598
In the year 1598 Philipp Uffenbach published a printed diptych sundial, which is a forerunner of Franz Ritters horizantal sundial. Uffenbach's sundial contains apart from the usual information on…
Reinhard FolkJul 1, 2014
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Star Maps and Travelling to Ceremonies -- the Euahlayi People and Their Use of the Night Sky
The Euahlayi people are an Australian Aboriginal language group located in north-central New South Wales and south-central Queensland. They have a rich culture of astronomy, and use of the night sky…
Robert S. Fuller, Michelle Trudgett, Ray P. Norris et al.Jun 29, 2014
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Searching Signals in Chinese Ancient Records for the 14C Increases in AD 774-775 and in AD 992-993
According to the analysis of the 14C content of two Japanese trees over a period of approximately 3000 years at high time resolution, Miyake (2012) found a rapid increase at AD 774-775 and later…
Ya-Ting Chai, Yuan-Chuan ZouJun 26, 2014
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Constitution and model. The quantum theory of Bohr and imagining the atom
The quantum theory of Bohr has roots in the theories of Rutherford and J. J. Thomson on the one hand, and that of Nicholson on the other. We note that Bohr neither presented the theories of…
Giora Hon, Bernard R. GoldsteinJun 26, 2014
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H. B. Reitlinger and the origins of the Efficiency at Maximum Power formula for Heat Engines
Even if not so ancient, the history of the heat engine efficiency at maximum power expression have been yet turbulent. More than a decade after the publication of the seminal article by Curzon and…
Alexandre Vaudrey, François Lanzetta, Michel FeidtJun 23, 2014
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Putnam looks at quantum mechanics (again and again)
Hilary Putnam (1965, 2005) has argued that from a realist perspective, quantum mechanics stands in need of an interpretation. Ironically, this hypothesis may appear vulnerable against arguments…
Christian WuthrichJun 22, 2014
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Circumveiloped by Obscuritads. The nature of interpretation in quantum mechanics, hermeneutic circles and physical reality, with cameos of James Joyce and Jacques Derrida
The quest for finding the right interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (QM) is as old als QM and still has not ended, and may never end. The question what an interpretation of QM is has hardly ever been…
F. A. MullerJun 21, 2014
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Speculative Physics: the Ontology of Theory and Experiment in High Energy Particle Physics and Science Fiction
The dissertation brings together approaches across the fields of physics, critical theory, literary studies, philosophy of physics, sociology of science, and history of science to synthesize a hybrid…
Clarissa Ai Ling LeeJun 21, 2014
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In Self-contradiction, Machian Geocentrism Entails Absolute Space
Luka Popov has attempted to advance Machian physics by maintaining that the heliocentric system must be replaced by Tycho Brahe's geocentric system. We show that while geocentrism relies on…
Herbert I. Hartman, Charles Nissim-SabatJun 19, 2014
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On Under-determination in cosmology
I discuss how modern cosmology illustrates under-determination of theoretical hypotheses by data, in ways that are different from most philosophical discussions. I emphasize cosmology's concern…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 18, 2014
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On Time in Quantum Physics
First, I briefly review the different conceptions of time held by three rival interpretations of quantum theory: the collapse of the wave-packet, the pilot-wave interpretation, and the Everett…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 18, 2014
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On Time chez Dummett
I discuss three connections between Dummett's writings about time and philosophical aspects of physics. The first connection (Section 2) arises from remarks of Dummett's about the different…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 18, 2014
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Laws, Causation and Dynamics at Different Levels
I have two main aims. The first is general, and more philosophical (Section 2). The second is specific, and more closely related to physics (Sections 3 and 4). The first aim is to state my general…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 18, 2014
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The Quantum Hall Effects: Philosophical Approach
The Quantum Hall Effects offer a rich variety of theoretical and experimental advances. They provide interesting insights on such topics as complementarity, gauge invariance, strong interactions,…
Pascal LedererJun 17, 2014
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Renormalization for Philosophers
We have two aims. The main one is to expound the idea of renormalization in quantum field theory, with no technical prerequisites (Sections 2 and 3). Our motivation is that renormalization is…
Jeremy Butterfield, Nazim BouattaJun 17, 2014
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Reduction, Emergence and Renormalization
In previous work, I described several examples combining reduction and emergence: where reduction is understood a la Ernest Nagel, and emergence is understood as behaviour or properties that are…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 17, 2014
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Assessing the Montevideo Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
This paper gives a philosophical assessment of the Montevideo interpretation of quantum theory, advocated by Gambini, Pullin and co-authors. This interpretation has the merit of linking its proposal…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 17, 2014
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Our Mathematical Universe?
This is a discussion of some themes in Max Tegmark's recent book, Our Mathematical Universe. It was written as a review for Plus Magazine, the online magazine of the UK's national mathematics…
Jeremy ButterfieldJun 17, 2014
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