This volume contains proceedings from the International School of History of Science, Sixty-Two Years of Uncertainty: Historical Philosophical and Physical Inquiries into the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, convened at the Ettore Maj orana Centre for Scientific Culture, Erice, Sicily, 5-15 August 1989. In response to the high state of enth,usiasm from the sixty-one participants there were six to eight lectures each day, beginning at 9:00 AM and often ending at 7:00 PM. Vigorous discussions took place at every opportunity, even including the delightful excursions. The papers presented here are by the twelve invited lecturers (in some cases with coauthors) with a contribution from Philip Pearle. AU of us attending the conference express our appreciation to the exemplary staff of the Ettore Majorana Centre, and particularly to the Centre's Director, Professor Antonino Zichichi. for superb hospitality which made this conference a memorable intellectual and cultural experience. It is a pleasure to acknowledge financial support from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Scientific Affairs Division.

Product Description: In August 1930, on a boat trip from Bombay to England, the young Indian scientist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar calculated that certain stars could end their lives by collapsing indefinitely to a point - to nowhere. This idea brought Chandra into conflict with Sir Arthur Eddington, the grand old man of British astrophysics, who publicly ridiculed the idea...read more

Released in time for the centenary of Einstein's publication of the famous paper on relativity, this history of the idea of 'black holes' explores the tumultuous debate over the existence of this now well-accepted phenomenon, focusing particular attention on Indian scientist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. 20,000 first printing.

A look at the fascinating parallel biographies of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso points out how each arose not only from within their respective fields, but from larger currents in the intellectual culture of the times. Reprint. 25,000 first printing. (view table of contents)

An analysis of one of the three great papers Einstein published in 1905, each of which was to alter forever the field it dealt with. The second of these papers, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", established what Einstein sometimes referred to as the "so-called Theory of Relativity". Miller uses the paper to provide a window on the intense intellectual struggles of physicists in the first decade of the 20th century: the interplay between physical theory and empirical data; the fiercely held notions that could not be articulated clearly or verified experimentally; the great intellectual investment in existing theories, data, and interpretations - and associated intellectual inertia - and the drive to the long-sought-for unification of the sciences. Since its original publication, this book has become a standard reference and sourcebook for the history and philosophy of science; however, it can equally well serve as a text on twentieth-century philosophy. (view table of contents)

Product Description: This special issue is the result of a workshop devoted exclusively to scientific creativity. Substantive themes included metaphors, aesthetics, intuition, visual imagery, and problem solving. Participants chosen for their interdisciplinary focus discuss such methodological issues as the role of historical reconstruction, mental models, thought experiments, and computer simulations of scientific discoveries...read more

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Product Description: P. W. Bridgman and the Special Theory oj Relativity Ey W. Bridgman wrote A S,phi,ticati

Product Description: One of the great mysteries of the human mind is its power to create new forms of knowledge. Arthur I. Miller is a historian of science whose approach has been strongly influenced by current work in cognitive science, and in this book he shows how the two fields might be fruitfully linked to yield new insights into the creative process...read more

Product Description: An analysis of one of the three great papers Einstein published in 1905, each of which was to alter forever the field it dealt with. The second of these papers, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", established what Einstein sometimes referred to as the "so-called Theory of Relativity"...read more