This book assembles 21 essays on the history of mechanics and mathematical physics written by David Speiser. Covering a period from the beginning of the seventeenth century to the eighteenth, the essays discuss developments in elasticity, rigid bodies, gravitation, the principle of relativity, optics, and first principles. They examine the work of Galileo, Huygens, Newton, Leibniz, the Bernoullis, Euler, Maupertuis, and Lambert.
This book provides an introduction to Newtonian and relativistic mechanics. Unlike other books on the topic, which generally take a 'top-down' approach, it follows a novel system to show how the concepts of the 'science of motion' evolved through a veritable jungle of intermediate ideas and concepts. Starting with Aristotelian philosophy, the text gradually unravels how the human mind slowly progressed towards the fundamental ideas of inertia physics. The concepts that now appear so obvious to even a high school student took great intellectuals more than a millennium to clarify. The book explores the evolution of these concepts through the history of science. After a comprehensive overview of the discovery of dynamics, it explores fundamental issues of the properties of space and time and their relation with the laws of motion. It also explores the concepts of spatio-temporal locality and fields, and offers a philosophical discussion of relative motion versus absolute motion, as well as the concept of an absolute space. Furthermore, it presents Galilean transformation and the principle of relativity, inadequacy of Galilean relativity and emergence of the spatial theory of relativity with an emphasis on physical understanding, as well as the debate over relative motion versus absolute motion and Mach's principle followed by the principle of equivalence. The natural follow-on to this section is the physical foundations of general theory of relativity. Lastly, the book ends with some new issues and possibilities regarding further modifications of the laws of motion leading to the solution of a number of fundamental issues closely connected with the characteristics of the cosmos. It is a valuable resource for undergraduate students of physics, engineering, mathematics, and related disciplines. It is also suitable for interdisciplinary coursework and introductory reading outside the classroom.
The lever appears to be a very simple object, a tool used since ancient times for the most primitive of tasks: to lift and to balance. Why, then, were prominent intellectuals active around 1800 in areas as diverse as science, philosophy, and literature inspired to think and write about levers? In The Lever as Instrument of Reason, readers will discover the remarkable ways in which the lever is used to model the construction of knowledge and to mobilize new ideas among diverse disciplines. These acts of construction are shown to model key aspects of the human, from the more abstract processes of moral decision-making to a quite literal equation of the powerful human ego with the supposed stability and power of the fulcrum point.
Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg has written that "all that has happened since 1687 is a gloss on the Principia." Now you too can appreciate the significance of this stellar work, regarded by many as the greatest scientific contribution of all time. Despite its dazzling reputation, Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, or simply the Principia, remains a mystery for many people. Few of even the most intellectually curious readers, including professional scientists and mathematicians, have actually looked in the Principia or appreciate its contents. Mathematician Pask seeks to remedy this deficit in this accessible guided tour through Newton's masterpiece. Using the final edition of the Principia, Pask clearly demonstrates how it sets out Newton's (and now our) approach to science; how the framework of classical mechanics is established; how terrestrial phenomena like the tides and projectile motion are explained; and how we can understand the dynamics of the solar system and the paths of comets. He also includes scene-setting chapters about Newton himself and scientific developments in his time, as well as chapters about the reception and influence of the Principia up to the present day.
This volume, recording the 10th international symposium honoring noted French mathematical physicist Jean-Pierre Vigier surveys and continues to develop Unified Field Mechanics (UFM) from the perspective of Multiverse cosmology and Topological Field Theory. UFM represents a developing paradigm shift with many new parameters extending the Standard Model to a 3rd regime of Natural Science beyond Quantum Mechanics. UFM is now experimentally testable, thus putatively able to demonstrate the existence of large-scale additional dimensionality (LSXD), test for QED violating phenomena and surmount the quantum uncertainty principle leading to a new 'Age of Discovery' paling all prior ages in the historical progression: Classical Mechanics (3D) to Quantum Mechanics (4D) and now to the birth of the 3rd regime of UFM in additional dimensionality correlating with M-Theory. Many still consider the Planck-scale as the 'basement of reality'. This could only be considered true under the limitations of the Standard Model. As we methodically enter the new regime a profound understanding of the multiverse and additional dimensionality beckons.
"This is the first full-scale biography of Leonhard Euler (1707-83), one of the greatest mathematicians and theoretical physicists of all time. In this comprehensive and authoritative account, Ronald Calinger connects the story of Euler's eventful life to the astonishing achievements that place him in the company of Archimedes, Newton, and Gauss. Drawing chiefly on Euler's massive published works and correspondence, which fill more than eighty volumes so far, this biography sets Euler's work in its multilayered context--personal, intellectual, institutional, political, cultural, religious, and social. It is a story of nearly incessant accomplishment, from Euler's fundamental contributions to almost every area of pure and applied mathematics--especially calculus, number theory, notation, optics, and celestial, rational, and fluid mechanics--to his advancements in shipbuilding, telescopes, ballistics, cartography, chronology, and music theory. The narrative takes the reader from Euler's childhood and education in Basel through his first period in St. Petersburg, 1727-41, where he gained a European reputation by solving the Basel problem and systematically developing analytical mechanics. Invited to Berlin by Frederick II, Euler published his famous Introductio in analysin infinitorum, devised continuum mechanics, and proposed a pulse theory of light. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1766, he created the analytical calculus of variations, developed the most precise lunar theory of the time that supported Newton's dynamics, and published the best-selling Letters to a German Princess--all despite eye problems that ended in near-total blindness. In telling the remarkable story of Euler and how his achievements brought pan-European distinction to the Petersburg and Berlin academies of sciences, the book also demonstrates with new depth and detail the central role of mathematics in the Enlightenment."--Publisher's description.
Leibniz’s correspondence from his years spent in Paris (1672-1676) reflects his growth to mathematical maturity whereas that from the years 1676-1701 reveals his growth to maturity in science, technology and medicine in the course of which more than 2000 letters were exchanged with more than 200 correspondents. The remaining years until his death in 1716 witnessed above all the appearance of his major philosophical works. The focus of the present work is Leibniz's middle period and the core themes and core texts from his multilingual correspondence are presented in English from the following subject areas: mathematics, natural philosophy, physics (and cosmology), power technology (including mining and transport), engineering and engineering science, projects (scientific, technological and economic projects), alchemy and chemistry, geology, biology and medicine.
A follow-up to the volume "Discovering the Principles of Mechanics 1600-1800. Essays by David Speiser" (Birkhäuser 2008), this volume contains the essays of David Speiser on relationships between science, history of science, history of art and philosophy.
This book teaches the finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method from the simplest concepts to advanced three-dimensional simulations. It uses plain language and high-quality graphics to help the complete beginner grasp all the concepts quickly and visually. This single resource includes everything needed to simulate a wide variety of different electromagnetic and photonic devices. The book is filled with helpful guidance and computational wisdom that will help the reader easily simulate their own devices and more easily learn and implement other methods in computational electromagnetics. Special techniques in MATLAB® are presented that will allow the reader to write their own FDFD programs. Key concepts in electromagnetics are reviewed so the reader can fully understand the calculations happening in FDFD. A powerful method for implementing the finite-difference method is taught that will enable the reader to solve entirely new differential equations and sets of differential equations in mere minutes. Separate chapters are included that describe how Maxwell’s equations are approximated using finite-differences and how outgoing waves can be absorbed using a perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary. With this background, a chapter describes how to calculate guided modes in waveguides and transmission lines. The effective index method is taught as way to model many three-dimensional devices in just two-dimensions. Another chapter describes how to calculate photonic band diagrams and isofrequency contours to quickly estimate the properties of periodic structures like photonic crystals. Next, a chapter presents how to analyze diffraction gratings and calculate the power coupled into each diffraction order. This book shows that many devices can be simulated in the context of a diffraction grating including guided-mode resonance filters, photonic crystals, polarizers, metamaterials, frequency selective surfaces, and metasurfaces. Plane wave sources, Gaussian beam sources, and guided-mode sources are all described in detail, allowing devices to be simulated in multiple ways. An optical integrated circuit is simulated using the effective index method to build a two-dimensional model of the 3D device and then launch a guided-mode source into the circuit. A chapter is included to describe how the code can be modified to easily perform parameter sweeps, such as plotting reflection and transmission as a function of frequency, wavelength, angle of incidence, or a dimension of the device. The last chapter is advanced and teaches FDFD for three-dimensional devices composed of anisotropic materials. It includes simulations of a crossed grating, a doubly-periodic guided-mode resonance filter, a frequency selective surface, and an invisibility cloak. The chapter also includes a parameter retrieval from a left-handed metamaterial. The book includes all the MATLAB codes and detailed explanations of all programs. This will allow the reader to easily modify the codes to simulate their own ideas and devices. The author has created a website where the MATLAB codes can be downloaded, errata can be seen, and other learning resources can be accessed. This is an ideal book for both an undergraduate elective course as well as a graduate course in computational electromagnetics because it covers the background material so well and includes examples of many different types of devices that will be of interest to a very wide audience.
