Scientific Practice
Theories and Stories of Doing Physics
Will be published approx. on 1. November 1995
Book
Hardback
412 pages
978-0-226-07889-2 (ISBN)
Description
This study examines small-scale experiments in physics, in particular the relation between theory and practice. The contributors focus on interactions among the people, materials and ideas involved in experiments. The first half of the book is primarily philosophical, with contributions from Andrew Pickering, Peter Galison, Hans Radder, Brian Baigrie and Yves Gingras. Among the issues they address are the resources deployed by theoreticians and experimenters, the boundaries that constrain theory and practice, the limits of objectivity, the reproducibility of results and the intentions of researchers. The second half is devoted to historical case studies in the practice of physics from the early-19th to the early-20th century. These chapters address failed as well as successful experimental work ranging from Victorian astronomy through Hertz's investigation of cathode rays to Trouton's attempt to harness the ether.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 24 mm
Width: 16 mm
Thickness: 3 mm
Weight
709 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-07889-2 (9780226078892)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
List of Figures Analytical Contents 1: Introduction Ian Hacking 2: Context and Constraints Peter L. Galison 3: Beyond Constraint: The Temporality of Practice and the Historicity of Knowledge Andrew Pickering 4: Experimenting in the Natural Sciences: A Philosophical Approach Hans Radder 5: Scientific Practice: The View from the Tabletop Brian S. Baigrie 6: Following Scientists through Society? Yes, but at Arm's Length! Yves Gingras 7: Why Hertz Was Right about Cathode Rays Jed Z. Buchwald 8: Is the Identification of Experimental Error Contextually Dependent? The Case of Kaufmann's Experiment and Its Varied Reception Giora Hon 9: Scientific Conclusions and Philosophical Arguments: An Inessential Tension Margaret Morrison 10: Where Experiments End: Tabletop Trials in Victorian Astronomy Simon Schaffer 11: The Sturdy Protestants of Science: Larmor, Trouton, and the Earth's Motion through the Ether Andrew Warwick Conclusion Jed Z. Buchwald, Sylvan S. Schweber. References Contributors Index