When Physics Became King

When Physics Became King PDF

Author: Iwan Rhys Morus

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-10-27

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 0226542009

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As recently as two hundred years ago, physics as we know it today did not exist. Born in the early nineteenth century during the second scientific revolution, physics struggled at first to achieve legitimacy in the scientific community and culture at large. In fact, the term "physicist" did not appear in English until the 1830s. When Physics Became King traces the emergence of this revolutionary science, demonstrating how a discipline that barely existed in 1800 came to be regarded a century later as the ultimate key to unlocking nature's secrets. A cultural history designed to provide a big-picture view, the book ably ties advances in the field to the efforts of physicists who worked to win social acceptance for their research. Beginning his tale with the rise of physics from natural philosophy, Iwan Morus chronicles the emergence of mathematical physics in France and its later export to England and Germany. He then elucidates the links between physics and industrialism, the technology of statistical mechanics, and the establishment of astronomical laboratories and precision measurement tools. His tale ends on the eve of the First World War, when physics had firmly established itself in both science and society. Scholars of both history and physics will enjoy this fascinating and studied look at the emergence of a major scientific discipline.

Physics and Psychics

Physics and Psychics PDF

Author: Richard Noakes

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-10-17

Total Pages: 421

ISBN-13: 1107188547

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Noakes' revelatory analysis of Victorian scientists' fascination with psychic phenomena connects science, the occult and religion in intriguing new ways.

Globalizing Physics

Globalizing Physics PDF

Author: Roberto Lalli

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2024-07-09

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0198878699

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This is an open access book available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Following the centenary of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, this volume features contributions from leading science historians from around the world on the changing roles of the institution in international affairs from its foundation in 1922 to the present. The case studies presented in this volume show the multitude of functions that IUPAP had and how these were related to the changing international political contexts. The book is divided into three parts. The first discusses the interwar period demonstrating how the exclusion of communities of the Central Powers from international scientific institutions imposed by victorious allied countries made IUPAP ineffective until the end of World War II. The second part analyzes the changing roles assumed by IUPAP starting from its complete renovation after World War II. Case studies covering the role of IUPAP in physics education, in metrology, in joint commissions with other unions and in defining the complex relations between pure and applied physics provide examples of IUPAP's impact on the world of science. Part III squarely addresses the science diplomacy aspects of IUPAP during the Cold War highlighting the importance of IUPAP in furthering diplomatic goals and explaining the origin of the pursuit of the free circulation of scientists as the activity that characterized the main function of international unions during the Cold War. Highlighting how often scientific agendas and political imperatives were entangled in the activities of IUPAP, the book analyzes the work of the Union as exercises of science diplomacy, thus contributing to the current debate on the use of science and technology in international relations.

Victorian Literature and the Physics of the Imponderable

Victorian Literature and the Physics of the Imponderable PDF

Author: Sarah C. Alexander

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

Published: 2015-06-15

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 0822981882

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The Victorians are known for their commitment to materialism, evidenced by the dominance of empiricism in the sciences and realism in fiction. Yet there were other strains of thinking during the period in the physical sciences, social sciences, and literature that privileged the spacesbetweenthe material and immaterial. This book examines how the emerging language of the "imponderable" helped Victorian writers and physicists make sense of new experiences of modernity. As Sarah Alexander argues, while Victorian physicists were theorizing ether, energy and entropy, and non-Euclidean space and atom theories, writers such as Charles Dickens, William Morris, and Joseph Conrad used concepts of the imponderable to explore key issues of capitalism, imperialism, and social unrest.

Physics of Matter

Physics of Matter PDF

Author: George C. King

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 469

ISBN-13: 1119468582

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First year core course introductory textbook on the nature of matter that puts the physics before mathematical description Physics of Matter is an introductory textbook on the nature of matter, based on a description of gases, liquids, liquid crystals, and solids in terms of the forces that bind atoms together and the thermal motion of the atoms, that discusses the relationship of these phases of matter to heat and the basic principles of thermodynamics. Physics of Matter is unique in its coverage of material and includes topics that have become important in recent times such as graphene and liquid crystals. Material in the book is reinforced by numerous worked examples in the text and problems and solutions at the end of each chapter, the latter ranging in difficulty from simple exercises to challenging problems. The emphasis is on clarity of exposition and explanation, putting the physics before the mathematical with general physical principles that can be more widely applied being stressed. Published in the Manchester Physics Series, which has the reputation of providing insight, depth, and often details on a subject not found in other textbooks, sample topics covered in Physics of Matter include: Characteristics of atoms (sizes and masses) and Avogadro's number, the forces that bind atoms and molecules together, and the Lennard-Jones potential Thermal energy, temperature, and the Boltzmann law, covering equations of state, the ideal gas equation, and equipartition of energy Kinetic theory and transport properties of gases, covering molecular collisions, pressure of an ideal gas, the mean free path and diffusion Real gases, including Van der Waal's equation of state, virial expansion, critical constants, and heat capacities Reversible processes, entropy, the Carnot cycle, the thermodynamic fundamental relationship, and Gibbs free energy Solids, including crystal structure, elastic moduli, and Einstein's model of heat capacity Liquids, including liquid flow and Bernoulli's equation Physics of Matter is a valuable learning resource for first- and second-year students in physics, chemistry, and engineering, as well as those in adjacent science courses including environmental and biological sciences. The book is written for the subject traditionally called "Properties of Matter."

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics PDF

Author: Carlo Rovelli

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Published: 2016-03

Total Pages: 95

ISBN-13: 0399184414

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An introduction to modern physics by a founder of the loop quantum gravity theory shares seven succinct lessons on topics ranging from general relativity and quantum mechanics to elementary particles and black holes.

Physics of Energy Sources

Physics of Energy Sources PDF

Author: George C. King

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2017-04-03

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 1118698428

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Physics of Energy Sourcesprovides readers with a balanced presentation of the fundamental physics needed to understand and analyze conventional and renewable energy sources including nuclear, solar, wind and water power. It also presents various ways in which energy can be stored for future use. The book is an informative and authoritative text for students in the physical sciences and engineering and is based on a lecture course given regularly by the author. With the ever increasing demand for sustainable, environmentally-friendly and reliable sources of energy, the need for scientists and engineers equipped to tackle the challenges of developing and improving upon commercially viable energy sources has never been more urgent. By focusing on the physical principles governing energy production, storage, and transmission, this book provides readers with a solid foundation in the science and technology of energy sources. Physics of Energy Sources features include: Analyses of conventional and renewable energy sources in terms of underlying physical principles Integrated application of a wide range of physics, from classical to quantum physics Coverage of nuclear, wind, wave, tidal, hydroelectric, geothermal and solar power, including many practical systems Consideration of efficiency for power production as well as energy storage and transportation Consideration of key environmental issues Worked examples in text, and problems & solutions to encourage understanding Derivation of formulae with a minimum of mathematical complexity

Physics with Answers

Physics with Answers PDF

Author: Andrew R. King

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-05-28

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9780521483698

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This book contains 500 problems covering all of introductory physics, along with clear, step-by-step solutions to each problem.

Science

Science PDF

Author: John Michels (Journalist)

Publisher:

Published: 1909

Total Pages: 962

ISBN-13:

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Vols. for 1911-13 contain the Proceedings of the Helminothological Society of Washington, ISSN 0018-0120, 1st-15th meeting.

Physics

Physics PDF

Author: Aristotle

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9780192835864

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For many centuries, Aristotle's Physics was the essential starting point for anyone who wished to study the natural sciencesThis book begins with an analysis of change, which introduces us to Aristotle's central concepts of matter and form, before moving on to an account of explanation in the sciences and a defence of teleological explanation. Aristotle then turns to detailed, important, and often ingenious discussionsof notions such as infinity, place, void, time, and conintuity. He ends with an argument designed to show that the changes we experience in the world demand as their cause a single unchanging cause of all change, namely God.This is the first complete translation of Physics into English since 1930. It presents Aristotle's thought accurately, while at the same time simplifying and expanding the often crabbed and elliptical style of the original, so that it is very much easier to read. A lucid introduction and extensivenotes explain the general structure of each section of the book and shed light on particular problems.