Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- Case Study I The Origins of Newton’s Laws of Motion and of Gravity
- Case Study II Maxwell’s Equations
- Case Study III Mechanics and Dynamics: Linear and Non-linear
- Case Study IV Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
- Case Study V The Origins of the Concepts of Quantisation and Quanta
- Case Study VI Special and General Relativity
- Case Study VII Cosmology and Physics
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Preface and Acknowledgements
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2020
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- Case Study I The Origins of Newton’s Laws of Motion and of Gravity
- Case Study II Maxwell’s Equations
- Case Study III Mechanics and Dynamics: Linear and Non-linear
- Case Study IV Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
- Case Study V The Origins of the Concepts of Quantisation and Quanta
- Case Study VI Special and General Relativity
- Case Study VII Cosmology and Physics
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Summary
The preface describes how the book came about and its objectives. The aim is to illuminate the process of discovery in physics and how the discipline really works through a number of case studies in key areas of classical and early quantum physics. The case studies span the whole of classical physics and bring out the connections between the different strands of the subject. The book is a revised and updated version of the first and second editions, with three new chapters and additional insights in all chapters.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Theoretical Concepts in PhysicsAn Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics, pp. xiii - xviPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020