A History of the Ideas of Theoretical Physics Essays on the Nineteen
This book presents a perspective on the history of theoretical physics over the past two hundreds years. It comprises essays on the history of pre-Maxwellian electrodynamics, of Maxwell's and Hertz's field theories, and of the present century's relativity
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BOSTON STUDIES IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Editors ROBERT S. COHEN, Boston University JORGEN RENN, Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science KOSTAS GAVROGLU, University of Athens
Editorial Advisory Board THOMAS F. GLICK, Boston University ADOLF GRONBAUM, University of Pittsburgh SYLVAN S. SCHWEBER, Brandeis University JOHN J. STACHEL, Boston University MARX W. WARTOFSKYt, (Editor 1960-1997)
VOLUME 213
A HISTORY OF THE IDEAS OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS Essays on the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Physics
by
SALVO D' AGOSTINO Universita "La Sapienza ", Roma
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS DORDRECHTI BOSTON I LONDON
Library of Congress CataIoging-in-Publication Data D'Agostino, Salvo. A history of the ideas of theoretical physics: essays on the nineteenth and twentieth century physics / by Salvo D'Agostino. p. cm. -- (Boston studies in the philosophy of science; v. 213) Includes bibliographical references and index. I. Physics--History--19th century. 2. Physics--History--20th century. I. Title. II. Series.
0174 .B67 no. 213 [OC7] 001.'0 I s--dc21 [530.1'09'0341
99-058405
ISBN-13: 978-1-4020-0244-1 DOl: 10.1007/978-94-010-9034-6
e-ISBN-13: 978-94-010-9034-6
Transferred to Digital Print 200]
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .................................... xi PART ONE: FROM MECHANICS TO ELECTRO· DYNAMICS
Foreword to Part One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 3 1. A CONSIDERATION ON THE CHANGING ROLE OF MATHEMATICS IN AMPERE'S AND WEBER'S ELECTRODYNAMICS ................................ 7 1.1 Ampere's Electrodynamics ........................... 7 1.2 Ampere's Theory of Equivalence and its Foundation on the Symmetries of Magnetic Forces .................... 12 1.3 Ampere's Program: Only Mathematical Laws are Perennially Valid Because They are Independent from Physical Hypotheses .................................. 15 1.4 Gauss's and Weber's Metrology. Weber's Discovery of a Constant Velocity of Motion of Electric "Masses". . . . . . . . 17 1.5 Comments ...................................... 34 2. A SURVEY OF THEORIES OF UNITS AND DIMENSIONS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURYPHYSICS ...... 39 3. A HISTORICAL ROLE FOR DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS IN MAXWELL'S ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY OF LIGHT ................................. 45 3.1 Maxwell Transforms Electrodynamics into Electromagnetism . .
