Physics, the human adventure : from Copernicus to Einstein and beyond

Bibliographic Information

Physics, the human adventure : from Copernicus to Einstein and beyond

Gerald Holton and Stephen G. Brush

Rutgers University Press, c2001

3rd ed

  • : pbk

Available at  / 7 libraries

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Note

"First edition published by Addison-Wesley 1952 under the title Introduction to Concepts and Theories in Physical Science" -- T.p. verso

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9780813529073

Description

This work is the third edition of the classic text "Introduction to Concepts and Theories in Physical Science". It has been reworked to further clarify the physics concepts and to incorporate physical advances and research. The book shows the unifying power of science by bringing in connections to chemistry, astronomy and geoscience. In short, the aim of this edition is to teach good physics while presenting physical science as a human adventure that has become a major force in our civilization. New chapters discuss theories of the origin of the solar system and the expanding universe - fission, fusion, and the Big Bang-Steady State Conservatory, and thematic elements and styles in scientific thought.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780813529080

Description

Winner of the 2001 Joseph Hazen Education Prize of the History of Science Society Physics, the Human Adventure is the third edition of the classic text Introduction to Concepts and Theories in Physical Science. Authored by Gerald Holton, the text was a landmark in science education. It was the first modern textbook in physics (or in any other science) to make full and effective use of the history and philosophy of science in presenting for both the general and the science-oriented student an account of the nature of physical science. A second edition, prepared by Stephen G. Brush, brought the book up to date by increasing the coverage of topics in modern physics and by taking account of recent scholarly research in the history of science. In the new book Physics, The Human Adventure, each of the chapters has been reworked to further clarify the physics concepts and to incorporate recent physical advances and research. The book shows the unifying power of science by bringing in connections to chemistry, astronomy, and geoscience. In short, the aid of the new edition is to teach good physics while presenting physical science as a human adventure that has become a major force in our civilization. New chapters discuss theories of the origin of the solar system and the expanding universe; fission, fusion, and the Big Bang-Steady State Controversy; and thematic elements and styles in scientific thought. New topics include: * Theories of vision: does the eye send out rays or receive them? * Distances in the solar system * The prediction of the return of Halley's comet and analysis of deviations from Kepler's laws * Angular momentum conservation and Laplace's nebular hypothesis * Relation between symmetries and conservation laws: Emmy Noether's theorem * First estimates of atomic sizes * Consequences of the indistinguishability of elementary particles of the same kind * Applications of quantum mechanics to many-particle systems * Dirac's prediction of anti-matter * The anthropic principle and other controversial issues on the frontiers of research

Table of Contents

Preface Part A. The Origins of Scientific Cosmology Chapter 1. The Astronomy of Ancient Greece Chapter 2. Copernicus' Heliocentric Theory Chapter 3. On the Nature of Scientific Theory Chapter 4. Kepler's Laws Chapter 5. Galileo and the New Astronomy Part B. The Study of Motion Chapter 6. Mathematics and the Description of Motion Chapter 7. Galileo and the Kinematics of Free Fall Chapter 8. Projectile Motion Part C. Newton's Laws and His System of the World Chapter 9. Newton's Laws of Motion Chapter 10. Rotational Motion Chapter 11. Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation Part D. Structure and Method in Physical Science Chapter 12. On the Nature of Concepts Chapter 13. On the Duality and Growth of Science Chapter 14. On the Discovery of Laws Part E. The Laws of Conservation Chapter 15. The Law of Conservation of Mass Chapter 16. The Law of Conservation of Momentum Chapter 17. The Law of Conservation of Energy Chapter 18. The Law of Dissipation of Energy Part F. Origins of the Atomic Theory in Physics and Chemistry Chapter 19. The Physics of Gases Chapter 20. The Atomic Theory of Chemistry Chapter 21. The Periodic Table of Elements Chapter 22. The Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Gases Part G. Light and Electromagnetism Chapter 23. The Wave Theory of Light Chapter 24. Electrostatics Chapter 25. Electromagnetism, X-Rays, and Electrons Chapter 26. The Quantum Theory of Light Part H. The Atom and the Universe in Modern Physics Chapter 27. Radioactivity and the Nuclear Atom Chapter 28. Bohr's Model of the Atom Chapter 29. Quantum Mechanics Chapter 30. Einstein's Theory of Relativity Chapter 31. The Origin of the Solar System and the Expanding Universe Chapter 32. Construction of the Elements and the Universe Chapter 33. Thematic Elements and Style in Science Appendixes General Bibliography Credits Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

  • NCID
    BA54190683
  • ISBN
    • 0813529077
    • 0813529085
  • LCCN
    00062534
  • Country Code
    us
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    New Brunswick, NJ
  • Pages/Volumes
    xv, 582 p.
  • Size
    26 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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