Spacetime and electromagnetism : an essay on the philosophy of the special theory of relativity
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Spacetime and electromagnetism : an essay on the philosophy of the special theory of relativity
Clarendon Press , Oxford University Press, c1990
- : pbk
Available at 15 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical footnotes and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
That space and time should be integrated into a single entity, spacetime, is the insight of the special theory of relativity, which leads us to regard spacetime as one of the fundamental categories in terms of which we make sense of the world around us. However, it is not the only one - causality is equally important, and at least as the special theory is concerned, not to be subsumed under a fundamentally geometrical form of explanation. The agent of propagation of causal influence is electromagnetic radiation. The light-cone is fundamental to the topology of spacetime. The authors find support for a rationalist approach to physics, rejecting a simple empiricist or positivist view of science.
Table of Contents
- The unification of space and time
- Relative to what?
- Causal approaches
- The communication argument
- Derivations of the Lorentz transformation
- Four-vector transformations
- Counterparts, parity, conservation, and symmetry
- Retrospect and review
- Relativity and reality
- The rationality of physics
by "Nielsen BookData"