Brownian Motion and Molecular Reality

Brownian Motion and Molecular Reality

Author: George E. Smith

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 469

ISBN-13: 0190098023

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Between 1905 and 1913, French physicist Jean Perrin's experiments on Brownian motion ostensibly put a definitive end to the long debate regarding the real existence of molecules, proving the atomic theory of matter. While Perrin's results had a significant impact at the time, later examination of his experiments questioned whether he really gained experimental access to the molecular realm. In this case study in the history and philosophy of science, George E. Smith and Raghav Seth here argue that despite doubts, Perrin's measurements were nevertheless exemplars of theory-mediated measurement-the practice of obtaining values for an inaccessible quantity by inferring them from an accessible proxy via theoretical relationships between them. They argue that it was actually Perrin more than any of his contemporaries who championed this approach during the years in question.


The Molecule as Meme

The Molecule as Meme

Author: Jeffrey Huw Williams

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers

Published: 2018-11-26

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1643272926

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It was not until 1971 that the authority for defining scientific units, the General Conference of Weights and Measures got around to defining the unit that is the basis of chemistry (the mole, or the quantity of something). Yet for all this tardiness in putting the chemical sciences on a sound quantitative basis, chemistry is an old and venerable subject and one naturally asks the question, why? Well, the truth is that up until the mid-1920s, many physicists did not believe in the reality of molecules. Indeed, it was not until after the physics community had accepted Ernest Rutherford's 1913 solar-system-like model of the atom, and the quantum mechanical model of the coupling of electron spins in atoms that physicists started to take seriously the necessity of explaining the chemical changes that chemists had been observing, investigating and recording since the days of the alchemists.


Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement

Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement

Author: Albert Einstein

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 1956-01-01

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9780486603049

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Five early papers evolve theory that won Einstein a Nobel Prize: "Movement of Small Particles Suspended in a Stationary Liquid Demanded by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat"; "On the Theory of the Brownian Movement"; "A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions"; "Theoretical Observations on the Brownian Motion"; and "Elementary Theory of the Brownian Motion."


Compendium of Quantum Physics

Compendium of Quantum Physics

Author: Daniel Greenberger

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-07-25

Total Pages: 901

ISBN-13: 3540706267

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With contributions by leading quantum physicists, philosophers and historians, this comprehensive A-to-Z of quantum physics provides a lucid understanding of key concepts of quantum theory and experiment. It covers technical and interpretational aspects alike, and includes both traditional and new concepts, making it an indispensable resource for concise, up-to-date information about the many facets of quantum physics.


Dynamical Theories of Brownian Motion

Dynamical Theories of Brownian Motion

Author: Edward Nelson

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1967-02-21

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 0691079501

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These notes are based on a course of lectures given by Professor Nelson at Princeton during the spring term of 1966. The subject of Brownian motion has long been of interest in mathematical probability. In these lectures, Professor Nelson traces the history of earlier work in Brownian motion, both the mathematical theory, and the natural phenomenon with its physical interpretations. He continues through recent dynamical theories of Brownian motion, and concludes with a discussion of the relevance of these theories to quantum field theory and quantum statistical mechanics.


Brownian Motion

Brownian Motion

Author: Albert P. Philipse

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-09-24

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 331998053X

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This textbook is an introduction to the Brownian motion of colloids and nano-particles, and the diffusion of molecules. One very appealing aspect of Brownian motion, as this book illustrates, is that the subject connects a broad variety of topics, including thermal physics, hydrodynamics, reaction kinetics, fluctuation phenomena, statistical thermodynamics, osmosis and colloid science. The book is based on a set of lecture notes that the authors used for an undergraduate course at the University of Utrecht, Netherland. It aims to provide more than a simplified qualitative description of the subject, without getting bogged down in difficult mathematics. Each chapter contains exercises, ranging from straightforward ones to more involved problems, addressing instances from (thermal motion in) chemistry, physics and life sciences. Exercises also deal with derivations or calculations that are skipped in the main text. The book offers a treatment of Brownian motion on a level appropriate for bachelor/undergraduate students of physics, chemistry, soft matter and the life sciences. PhD students attending courses and doing research in colloid science or soft matter will also benefit from this book.