Physics, the Human Adventure

by Holton, Gerald; Brush, Stephen G.

• ISBN13: 9780813529080
• ISBN10: 0813529085
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

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 adven

Author Biography

Gerald Holton is Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and History of Science, Emeritus, Harvard University Stephen G. Brush is Distinguished University Professor of the History of Science, University of Maryland, College Park

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
PART A The Origins of Scientific Cosmology
The Astronomy of Ancient Greece	3	(14)
The Motions of Stars, Suns, and Planets	3	(2)
Plato's Problem	5	(1)
The Aristotelian System	6	(2)
How Big Is the Earth?	8	(2)
The Heliocentric Theory	10	(1)
Modified Geocentric Theories	11	(3)
The Success of the Ptolemaic System	14	(3)
Copernicus' Heliocentric Theory	17	(10)
Europe Reborn	17	(1)
The Copernican System	17	(5)
Bracing the System	22	(1)
The Opposition to Copernicus's Theory	23	(2)
Historic Consequences	25	(2)
On the Nature of Scientific Theory	27	(13)
The Purpose of Theories	27	(3)
The Problem of Change: Atomism	30	(1)
Theories of Vision	31	(4)
Criteria for a Good Theory in Physical Science	35	(5)
Kepler's Laws	40	(10)
The Life of Johannes Kepler	40	(1)
Kepler's First Law	41	(2)
Kepler's Second Law	43	(2)
Kepler's Third Law	45	(1)
Kepler's Theory of Vision	46	(1)
The New Concept of Physical Law	47	(3)
Galileo and the New Astronomy	50	(13)
The Life of Galileo	50	(2)
The Telescopic Evidences for the Copernican System	52	(2)
Toward a Physical Basis for the Heliocentric System	54	(4)
Science and Freedom	58	(5)
PART B The Study of Motion
Mathematics and the Description of Motion	63	(14)
Rene Descartes	63	(2)
Constant Velocity	65	(2)
The Concept of Average Speed	67	(1)
Instantaneous Speed	68	(2)
Acceleration	70	(2)
Oresme's Graphical Proof of the Mean-speed Theorem	72	(1)
Equations of Motion for Constant Acceleration	73	(4)
Galileo and the Kinematics of Free Fall	77	(11)
Introduction	77	(1)
Aristotelian Physics	78	(2)
Galileo's Two New Sciences	80	(3)
Galileo's Study of Accelerated Motion	83	(5)
Projectile Motion	88	(15)
Projectile with Initial Horizontal Motion	88	(3)
Introduction to Vectors	91	(2)
The General Case of Projectile Motion	93	(3)
Applications of the Law of Projectile Motion	96	(1)
Galileo's Conclusions	97	(2)
Summary	99	(4)
PART C Newton's Laws and His System of the World
Newton's Laws of Motion	103	(20)
Science in the Seventeenth Century	103	(1)
A Short Sketch of Newton's Life	104	(1)
Newton's Principia	105	(3)
Newton's First Law of Motion	108	(1)
Newton's Second Law of Motion	109	(2)
Standard of Mass	111	(1)
Weight	112	(2)
The Equal-Arm Balance	114	(1)
Inertial and Gravitational Mass	115	(1)
Examples and Applications of Newton's Second Law of Motion	116	(2)
Newton's Third Law of Motion	118	(1)
Examples and Applications of Newton's Third Law	119	(4)
Rotational Motion	123	(8)
Kinematics of Uniform Circular Motion	123	(2)
Centripetal Acceleration	125	(2)
Derivation of the Formula for Centripetal Acceleration and Force	127	(1)
The Earth's Centripetal Acceleration and Absolute Distances in the Solar System	128	(3)
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation	131	(26)
Derivation of the Law of Universal Gravitation	131	(4)
Gravitation Planets and Kepler's Third Law	135	(1)
The Cavendish Experiment: The Constant of Gravitation	136	(2)
The Masses of the Earth, Sun, and Planets	138	(1)
Some Influences on Newton's Work	139	(1)
Some Consequences of the Law of Universal Gravitation	140	(4)
The Discovery of New Planets Using Newton's Theory of Gravity	144	(2)
Bode's Law: An Apparent Regularity in the Positions of the Planets	146	(3)
Gravity and the Galaxies	149	(2)
``I Do Not Feign Hypotheses''	151	(2)
Newton's Place in Modern Science	153	(4)
PART D Structure and Method in Physical Science
On the Nature of Concepts	157	(13)
Introduction: The Search for Constancies in Change	157	(1)
Science and Nonscience	158	(1)
The Lack of a Single Method	159	(2)
Physical Concepts: Measurement and Definition	161	(2)
Physically Meaningless Concepts and Statements	163	(1)
Primary and Secondary Qualities	164	(1)
Mathematical Law and Abstraction	165	(2)
Explanation	167	(3)
On the Duality and Growth of Science	170	(17)
The Free License of Creativity	170	(1)
``Private'' Science and ``Public'' Science	171	(1)
The Natural Selection of Physical Concepts	172	(2)
Motivation	174	(2)
Objectivity	176	(1)
Fact and Interpretation	177	(1)
How Science Grows	178	(2)
Consequences of the Model	180	(7)
On the Discovery of Laws	187	(16)
Opinions on Scientific Procedure	187	(4)
A Sequence of Elements in Formulations of Laws	191	(4)
The Limitations of Physical Law	195	(2)
The Content of Science: Summary	197	(6)
PART E The Laws of Conservation
The Law of Conservation of Mass	203	(6)
Prelude to the Conservation Law	203	(1)
Steps Toward a Formulation	203	(1)
Lavoisier's Experimental Proof	204	(2)
Is Mass Really Conserved?	206	(3)
The Law of Conservation of Momentum	209	(10)
Introduction	209	(1)
Definition of Momentum	210	(2)
Momentum and Newton's Laws of Motion	212	(1)
Examples Involving Collisions	213	(2)
Examples Involving Explosions	215	(1)
Further Examples	215	(1)
Does Light Have Momentum?	216	(1)
Angular Momentum	217	(2)
The Law of Conservation of Energy	219	(32)
Christiaan Huygens and the Kinetic Energy (Vis Viva) Concept	219	(3)
Preliminary Questions: The Pile Driver	222	(1)
The Concept of Work	223	(1)
Various Forms of Energy	224	(2)
The Conservation Law: First Form and Applications	226	(3)
Extensions of the Conservation Law	229	(5)
Historical Background of the Generalized Law of Conservation of Energy: The Nature of Heat	234	(5)
Mayer's Discovery of Energy Conservation	239	(3)
Joule's Experiments on Energy Conservation	242	(3)
General Illustration of the Law of Conservation of Energy	245	(2)
Conservation Laws and Symmetry	247	(4)
The Law of Dissipation of Energy	251	(14)
Newton's Rejection of the ``Newtonian World Machine''	251	(2)
The Problem of the Cooling of the Earth	253	(3)
The Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Dissipation of Energy	256	(3)
Entropy and the Heat Death	259	(6)
PART F Origins of the Atomic Theory in Physics and Chemistry
The Physics of Gases	265	(10)
The Nature of Gases---Early Concepts	265	(2)
Air Pressure	267	(3)
The General Gas Law	270	(2)
Two Gas Models	272	(3)
The Atomic Theory of Chemistry	275	(21)
Chemical Elements and Atoms	275	(1)
Dalton's Model of Gases	276	(2)
Properties of Dalton's Chemical Atom	278	(1)
Dalton's Symbols for Representing Atoms	279	(1)
The Law of Definite Proportions	280	(1)
Dalton's Rule of Simplicity	281	(1)
The Early Achievements of Dalton's Theory	282	(2)
Gay-Lussac's Law of Combining Volumes of Reacting Gases	284	(1)
Avogadro's Model of Gases	285	(3)
An Evaluation of Avogadro's Theory	288	(1)
Chemistry After Avogadro: The Concept of Valence	289	(3)
Molecular Weights	292	(4)
The Periodic Table of Elements	296	(12)
The Search for Regularity in the List of Elements	296	(1)
The Early Periodic Table of Elements	297	(4)
Consequences of the Periodic Law	301	(2)
The Modern Periodic Table	303	(5)
The Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Gases	308	(33)
Introduction	308	(2)
Some Qualitative Successes of the Kinetic-Molecular Theory	310	(1)
Model of a Gas and Assumptions in the Kinetic Theory	311	(4)
The Derivation of the Pressure Formula	315	(3)
Consequences and Verification of the Kinetic Theory	318	(4)
The Distribution of Molecular Velocities	322	(5)
Additional Results and Verifications of the Kinetic Theory	327	(2)
Specific Heats of Gases	329	(4)
The Problem of Irreversibility in the Kinetic Theory: Maxwell's Demon	333	(3)
The Recurrence Paradox	336	(5)
PART G Light and Electromagnetism
The Wave Theory of Light	341	(11)
Therories of Refraction and the Speed of Light	341	(3)
The Propagation of Periodic Waves	344	(3)
The Wave Theory of Young and Fresnel	347	(3)
Color	350	(2)
Electrostatics	352	(17)
Introduction	352	(1)
Electrification by Friction	352	(1)
Law of Conservation of Charge	353	(1)
A Modern Model for Electrification	353	(1)
Insulators and Conductors	354	(2)
The Electroscope	356	(1)
Coulomb's Law of Electrostatics The Electrostatic Field	357	(2)
The Electrostatic Field	359	(2)
Lines of Force	361	(1)
Electric Potential Difference-- Qualitative Discussion	362	(1)
Potential Difference---Quantitative Discussion	363	(1)
Uses of the Concept of Potential	364	(1)
Electrochemistry	365	(1)
Atomicity of Charge	366	(3)
Electromagnetism, X-Rays, and Electrons	369	(19)
Introduction	369	(1)
Currents and Magnets	369	(5)
Electromagnetic Waves and Ether	374	(3)
Hertz's Experiments	377	(2)
Cathode Rays	379	(3)
X-rays and the Turn of the Century	382	(3)
The ``Discovery of the Electron''	385	(3)
The Quantum Theory of Light	388	(21)
Continuous Emission Spectra	388	(3)
Planck's Empirical Emission Formula	391	(1)
The Quantum Hypothesis	392	(4)
The Photoelectric Effect	396	(2)
Einstein's Photon Theory	398	(2)
The Photon-Wave Dilemma	400	(2)
Applications of the Photon Concept	402	(1)
Quantization in Science	403	(6)
PART H The Atom and the Universe in Modern Physics
Radioactivity and the Nuclear Atom	409	(18)
Early Research on Radioactivity and Isotopes	409	(4)
Radioactive Half-Life	413	(2)
Radioactive Series	415	(2)
Rutherford's Nuclear Model	417	(5)
Moseley's X-Ray Spectra	422	(2)
Further Concepts of Nuclear Structure	424	(3)
Bohr's Model of the Atom	427	(19)
Line Emission Spectra	427	(1)
Absorption Line Spectra	428	(4)
Balmer's Formula	432	(2)
Niels Bohr and the Problem of Atomic Structure	434	(1)
Energy Levels in Hydrogen Atoms	435	(6)
Further Developments	441	(5)
Quantum Mechanics	446	(16)
Recasting the Foundations of Physics Once More	446	(1)
The Wave Nature of Matter	447	(4)
Knowledge and Reality in Quantum Mechanics	451	(5)
Systems of Identical Particles	456	(6)
Einstein's Theory of Relativity	462	(25)
Biographical Sketch of Albert Einstein	462	(2)
The FitzGerald-Lorentz Contraction	464	(3)
Einstein's Formulation (1905)	467	(1)
Galilean Transformation Equations	468	(2)
The Relativity of Simultaneity	470	(2)
The Relativistic (Lorentz) Transformation Equations	472	(2)
Consequences and Examples	474	(1)
The Equivalence of Mass and Energy	474	(3)
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics	477	(3)
The General Theory of Relativity	480	(7)
The Origin of the Solar System and the Expanding Universe	487	(12)
The Nebular Hypothesis	487	(2)
Planetesimal and Tidal Theories	489	(2)
Revival of Monistic Theories After 1940	491	(3)
Nebulae and Galaxies	494	(1)
The Expanding Universe	495	(1)
Lemaitre's Primeval Atom	496	(3)
Construction of the Elements and the Universe	499	(18)
Nuclear Physics in the 1930s	499	(4)
Formation of the Elements in Stars	503	(3)
Fission and the Atomic Bomb	506	(3)
Big Bang or Steady State?	509	(3)
Discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Radiation	512	(1)
Beyond the Big Bang	513	(4)
Thematic Elements and Styles in Science	517	(38)
The Thematic Elements in Science	517	(3)
Themata in the History of Science	520	(2)
Styles of Thought in Science and Culture	522	(3)
Epilogue	525	(6)
APPENDIXES
Appendix I Abbreviations and Symbols	531	(4)
Appendix II Metric System Prefixes, Greek Alphabet, Roman Numerals	535	(2)
Appendix III Defined Values, Fundamental Constants and Astronomical Data	537	(2)
Appendix IV Conversion Factors	539	(2)
Appendix V Systems of Units	541	(2)
Appendix VI Alphabetic List of the Elements	543	(2)
Appendix VII Periodic Table of Elements	545	(2)
Appendix VIII Summary of Some Trigonometric Relations	547	(4)
Appendix IX Vector Algebra	551	(4)
General Bibliography	555	(4)
Credits	559	(2)
Index	561