Author: Eric Johnson
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262038617
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
A man and his equation: the anxiety-plagued nineteenth-century physicist who contributed significantly to our understanding of the second law of thermodynamics. Ludwig Boltzmann's grave in Vienna's Central Cemetery bears a cryptic epitaph: S = k log W. This equation was Boltzmann's great discovery, and it contributed significantly to our understanding of the second law of thermodynamics. In Anxiety and the Equation, Eric Johnson tells the story of a man and his equation: the anxiety-plagued nineteenth-century physicist who did his most important work as he struggled with mental illness. Johnson explains that “S” in Boltzmann's equation refers to entropy, and that entropy is the central quantity in the second law of thermodynamics. The second law is always on, running in the background of our lives, providing a way to differentiate between past and future. We know that the future will be a state of higher entropy than the past, and we have Boltzmann to thank for discovering the equation that underlies that fundamental trend. Johnson, accessibly and engagingly, reassembles Boltzmann's equation from its various components and presents episodes from Boltzmann's life—beginning at the end, with “Boltzmann Kills Himself” and “Boltzmann Is Buried (Not Once, But Twice).” Johnson explains the second law in simple terms, introduces key concepts through thought experiments, and explores Boltzmann's work. He argues that Boltzmann, diagnosed by his contemporaries as neurasthenic, suffered from an anxiety disorder. He was, says Johnson, a man of reason who suffered from irrational concerns about his work, worrying especially about opposition from the scientific establishment of the day. Johnson's clear and concise explanations will acquaint the nonspecialist reader with such seemingly esoteric concepts as microstates, macrostates, fluctuations, the distribution of energy, log functions, and equilibrium. He describes Boltzmann's relationships with other scientists, including Max Planck and Henri Poincaré, and, finally, imagines “an alternative ending,” in which Boltzmann lived on and died of natural causes.
Anxiety and the Equation
The British Chess Magazine; Volume 16
Author: Anonymous
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781016407649
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781016407649
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Astrophysical Recipes
Author: Simon Portegies Zwart
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780750313216
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400
Book Description
Astrophysical Recipes: The art of AMUSE delves into the ways in which computational science and astrophysics are connected and how the bridge between observation and theory are understood. This book provides a unique outline of the basic principles of performing simulations for astrophysical phenomena, in order to better increase and understand these observations and theories.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780750313216
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400
Book Description
Astrophysical Recipes: The art of AMUSE delves into the ways in which computational science and astrophysics are connected and how the bridge between observation and theory are understood. This book provides a unique outline of the basic principles of performing simulations for astrophysical phenomena, in order to better increase and understand these observations and theories.
Journal of Physics
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Physical instruments
Languages : en
Pages : 978
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Physical instruments
Languages : en
Pages : 978
Book Description
Science Abstracts
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electrical engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 1080
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electrical engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 1080
Book Description
Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics
Author: Jeannie K. Fulbright
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781935495987
Category : Chemistry
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781935495987
Category : Chemistry
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
The Physics of Energy
Author: Robert L. Jaffe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107016657
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 897
Book Description
A comprehensive and unified introduction to the science of energy sources, uses, and systems for students, scientists, engineers, and professionals.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107016657
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 897
Book Description
A comprehensive and unified introduction to the science of energy sources, uses, and systems for students, scientists, engineers, and professionals.
Spacetime Physics
Author: Edwin F. Taylor
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780716723271
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
This thoroughly up-to-date, highly accessible overview covers microgravity, collider accelerators, satellite probes, neutron detectors, radioastronomy, and pulsars.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780716723271
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
This thoroughly up-to-date, highly accessible overview covers microgravity, collider accelerators, satellite probes, neutron detectors, radioastronomy, and pulsars.
Physics of the Piano
Author: Nicholas J. Giordano
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192506633
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Why does a piano sound like a piano? A similar question can be asked of virtually all musical instruments. A particular note-such as middle C-can be produced by a piano, a violin, a clarinet, and many other instruments, yet it is easy for even a musically untrained listener to distinguish between these different instruments. A central quest in the study of musical instruments is to understand why the sound of the "same" note depends greatly on the instrument, and to elucidate which aspects of an instrument are most critical in producing the musical tones characteristic of the instrument. The primary goal of this book is to investigate these questions for the piano. The explanations in this book use a minimum of mathematics, and are intended for anyone who is interested in music and musical instruments. At the same time, there are many insights relating physics and the piano that will likely be interesting and perhaps surprising for many physicists.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192506633
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Why does a piano sound like a piano? A similar question can be asked of virtually all musical instruments. A particular note-such as middle C-can be produced by a piano, a violin, a clarinet, and many other instruments, yet it is easy for even a musically untrained listener to distinguish between these different instruments. A central quest in the study of musical instruments is to understand why the sound of the "same" note depends greatly on the instrument, and to elucidate which aspects of an instrument are most critical in producing the musical tones characteristic of the instrument. The primary goal of this book is to investigate these questions for the piano. The explanations in this book use a minimum of mathematics, and are intended for anyone who is interested in music and musical instruments. At the same time, there are many insights relating physics and the piano that will likely be interesting and perhaps surprising for many physicists.
Introduction to Electrodynamics
Author: David J. Griffiths
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108420419
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 619
Book Description
This is a re-issued and affordable printing of the widely used undergraduate electrodynamics textbook.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108420419
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 619
Book Description
This is a re-issued and affordable printing of the widely used undergraduate electrodynamics textbook.