Title Physics and necessity : rationalist pursuits from the Cartesian past to the quantum present / Olivier Darrigol

Published Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2014

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Description 1 online resource : illustrations (black and white) Contents 1. Rationalism in the history of mechanics. Descartes versus Newton -- Before Newton -- After Newton -- Conclusions -- 2. The necessity of classical mechanics. Connected systems -- Molecular mechanics -- Continuum mechanics -- Collisions -- Conclusions -- 3. From mechanical reduction to general principles. Varieties of mechanical reduction -- The energy principle -- The principle of least action -- Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics -- Conclusions -- 4. Geometry. From Euclid to Helmholtz -- Improved foundations -- Conventions and necessities -- Conclusions -- 5. Spacetime. From time to spacetime -- Rational spacetime -- The Helmholtzian approach, with morals -- Conclusions -- 6. Numbers and math. From Descartes to the nineteenth century -- A historical sketch of quantity -- Helmholtz's Counting and measuring -- Poincare on number and quantity -- Conclusions 7. Classical field theories. Landau, Faraday, and Maxwell -- Toward a definition of Faradayan theories -- The vector, tensor, and scalar cases -- Energy-momentum considerations -- The super-Faradayan approach -- Conclusions -- 8. Quantum mechanics. Historical necessity -- The deformation of classical mechanics -- Quantum logic -- Discreteness, probabilities, and information -- Conclusions -- 9. Necessity, theories, and modules. The preconditions of necessity -- Theories and modules -- The necessity of modularity -- Conclusion : the possibility of necessity Summary This book recounts a few ingenious attempts to derive physical theories by reason only, beginning with Descartes' geometric construction of the world, and finishing with recent derivations of quantum mechanics from natural axioms Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Online resource; title from home page (viewed on May 20, 2014) Subject Physics -- Philosophy -- History Practical reason -- History SCIENCE -- Energy. SCIENCE -- Mechanics -- General. SCIENCE -- Physics -- General. Physics -- Philosophy Practical reason Physics. Physical Sciences & Mathematics. Physics - General. Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2013953857 ISBN 9780191781360 0191781363 019871288X 9780198712886 9780191021930 0191021938

Other Titles Rationalist pursuits from the Cartesian past to the quantum present

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