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As the twentieth century ended, computers, the Internet, and nanotechnology were central to modern American life. Yet the physical advances underlying these applications are poorly understood and underappreciated by U.S. citizens. In this overview, Cassidy views physics through America's engagement with the political events of a tumultuous century.
Originally published in 2015 as: Physics: a short history from quintessence to quarks.
Physics is the fundamental branch of science that developed out of the study of nature and philosophy known, until around the end of the 19th century, as "natural philosophy." Today, physics is ultimately defined as the study of matter, energy and the relationships between them. Physics is, in some senses, the oldest and most basic pure science; its discoveries find applications throughout the natural sciences, since matter and energy are the basic constituents of the natural world. The other sciences are generally more limited in their scope and may be considered branches that have split off from physics to become sciences in their own right. Physics today may be divided loosely into classical physics and modern physics. Elements of what became physics were drawn primarily from the fields of astronomy, optics, and mechanics, which were methodologically united through the study of geometry. These mathematical disciplines began in antiquity with the Babylonians and with Hellenistic writers such as Archimedes and Ptolemy. Ancient philosophy, meanwhile - including what was called "physics" - focused on explaining nature through ideas such as Aristotle's four types of "cause."
How does the physics we know today - a highly professionalised enterprise, inextricably linked to government and industry - link back to its origins as a liberal art in Ancient Greece? What is the path that leads from the old philosophy of nature and its concern with humankind's place in the universe to modern massive international projects that hunt down fundamental particles and industrial laboratories that manufacture marvels? John Heilbron's fascinating history of physics introduces us to Islamic astronomers and mathematicians, calculating the size of the earth whilst their caliphs conquered much of it; to medieval scholar-theologians investigating light; to Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton, measuring, and trying to explain, the universe. We visit the 'House of Wisdom' in 9th-century Baghdad; Europe's first universities; the courts of the Renaissance; the Scientific Revolution and the academies of the 18th century; the increasingly specialised world of 20th and 21st century science. Highlighting the shifting relationship between physics, philosophy, mathematics, and technology — and the implications for humankind's self-understanding — Heilbron explores the changing place and purpose of physics in the cultures and societies that have nurtured it over the centuries.
An essential introductory textbook that shows students how science came to be such an important aspect of modern culture. Lively and readable, it provides a rich historical survey of the major developments in scientific thought, from the Ancient Greeks to the twentieth century. John Henry also explains how new scientific theories have emerged and analyses their impact on contemporary thinking. This is an ideal core text for modules on the History of Science, Medicine and Technology, or the History and Philosophy of Science - or a supplementary text for broader modules on European History or Intellectual History - which may be offered at the upper levels of an undergraduate History, Philosophy or Science degree. In addition it is a crucial resource for students who may be studying the history of science for the first time as part of a taught postgraduate degree in European History, Intellectual History, Science or Philosophy.
This book brings together a broad spectrum of authors, both from inside and from outside Cuba, who describe the development of Cuba's scientific system from the colonial period to the present. It is a unique documentation of the self-organizing power of a local scientific community engaged in scientific research on an international level. The first part includes several contributions that reconstruct the different stages of the history of physics in Cuba, from its beginnings in the late colonial era to the present. The second part comprises testimonies of Cuban physicists, who offer lively insights from the perspective of the actors themselves. The third part presents a series of testimonies by foreign physicists, some of whom were directly involved in developing Cuban physics, in particular in the development of teaching and research activities in the early years of the Escuela de Física. The fourth part of the volume deals with some of the issues surrounding the publishing of scientific research in Cuba. Cuba’s recent history and current situation are very controversial issues. Little is known about the development and status of higher education and scientific research on the island. However, Cuba has one of the highest proportions in the world of people with a university degree or doctorate and is known for its highly developed medical system. This book focuses on a comprehensive overview of the history of the development of one specific scientific discipline: physics in Cuba. It traces the evolution of an advanced research system in a developing country and shows a striking capacity to link the development of modern research with the concrete needs of the country and its population. A little known aspect is the active participation of several “western” physicists and technicians during the 1960s, the role of summer schools, organized by French, Italian, and other western physicists, as well as the active collaboration with European universities.
After an overview of major scientific discoveries of the 18th and 19th centuries, which created electrical science as we know and understand it and led to its useful applications in energy conversion, transmission, manufacturing industry and communications, this Circuits and Systems History book fills a gap in published literature by providing a record of the many outstanding scientists, mathematicians and engineers who laid the foundations of Circuit Theory and Filter Design from the mid-20th Century. Additionally, the book records the history of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society from its origins as the small Circuit Theory Group of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), which merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) to form IEEE in 1963, to the large and broad-coverage worldwide IEEE Society which it is today.Many authors from many countries contributed to the creation of this book, working to a very tight time-schedule. The result is a substantial contribution to their enthusiasm and expertise which it is hoped that readers will find both interesting and useful. It is sure that in such a book omissions will be found and in the space and time available, much valuable material had to be left out. It is hoped that this book will stimulate an interest in the marvellous heritage and contributions that have come from the many outstanding people who worked in the Circuits and Systems area.
How does the physics we know today - a highly professionalised enterprise, inextricably linked to government and industry - link back to its origins as a liberal art in Ancient Greece? Heilbron's crisp and witty book tells the 2500-year story and highlights the implications for humankind's self-understanding.
Physics, the fundamental science of matter and energy, encompasses all levels of nature from the subatomic to the cosmic, and underlies much of the technology around us. Understanding the physics of our universe is an essential aspect of humanity's quest to understand our environment and our place within it. Doing physics enables us to explore the interaction between environment and human society, and can help us to work towards the future sustainability of the planet. This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of how this pervasive science came to be and how it works: who funds it, how physicists are trained and how they think, and how physics supports the technology we all use. Sidney Perkowitz presents the theories and outcomes of pure and applied physics from ideas of the Greek natural philosophers to modern quantum mechanics, cosmology, digital electronics and energy production. Considering its most consequential experiments, including recent results in elementary particles, gravitational waves and materials science, he also discusses outside the lab, the effects of physics on society, culture, and humanity's vision of its place in the universe. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.