The Physicists’ View of Nature, Part 1: From Newton to Einstein

352 Pages·2000·0.62 MB·English

by  Amit Goswami (auth.)

The Physicists' View of Nature
Part 1
OTHER BOOKS BY AMIT GOSWAMI
Quantum Mechanics
The Seif-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Createsthe Material World
with Maggie Goswami and Richard Reed
Quantum Creativity
with Maggie Goswami
Tbe Visionary Window:A Quantum Physicist's Guide to Enlightenment
The Physicists' View of Nature
Part 1
From Newton to Einstein
Amit Goswami
Institute of Noetic Sciences
Sausalito. California
and
University of Oregon
Eugene. Oregon
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goswami, Ami!.
The physicists' view of nature I Amit Goswami.
p.em.
.. A Solomon Press book."
Inc1udes bibliographical references and index.
Contents: pt. 1. From Newton to Einstein.
ISBN 978-1-4613-5450-5 ISBN 978-1-4615-1227-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-1227-1
1. Physics--History. 1. Title.
QC7 .G67 2000
530' .09--dc21
00-063820
Book designed by Sidney and Raymond Solomon
ISBN 978-1-4613-5450-5
© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Kluwer Academic I Plenum Publishers, New York in 2000
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 2000
http://www.wkap.nl/
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
A c.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
Ali rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the
Publisher.
To
Dr. Uma Krishnamurthy
with love
Preface and Acknowledgments
M
Ost people in today's scientific age are interested in physics
because they are aware that physics is playing a most im
portant role in shaping their worldview. You, too, dear
reader, know in your heart that paradigm shifts in physics
are crucial to understand ifyou are to make intelligent decisions about the world
and how you act in the world.
But there are virtually no comprehensive nonmathematical physics books for
the intelligent lay reader, which means you. I dedicate this book, The Physicists'
View ofNature, to you to fillthis vacuum.
The book grew out ofa course ofthe same name that I have taught at the
University ofOregon to juniors and seniors, nonscientists mostly, who wanted a
more philosophieal, a more meaning-based nonmathematical approach to physics.
These students encouraged me to deal with worldview questions,questions like, Is
the world made ofmatter? or Doesconciousnessplaya dominant rolein the affairs
ofthe world also? I have kept the flavor of those enthusiastic discussions about
philosophy, about meaning, about environment, about scientific creativity, and
sprinkled them with some science fiction topics using some ofthe material from a
previous book that I wrote for nonscientists; Tbe Cosmic Dancers: Exploring the
Physics ofScienceFiction. (That book is now out ofprint.)
In this first volume ofa rwo-volume book, I give you the story ofthe growth
ofwhat iscalled c1assical physics, the physicsthat grew out ofthe insights ofsuch
luminaries asGalileo, Kepler, Newton, and Einstein.This isalso the story ofmany
ofour current prejudices, the major one being that life, mind, and consciousness
allarisefrom the complexityofmaterial interactions, thatthese experiential features
ofus are all ornamental, that there is no meaning and free will in the world.This
isalso the story ofthe excitement and nove1tyofthe work ofthese great scientists
and their marvelous creative leaps.
In volume two, I will explore the winds ofchange that are sweeping physics
and all the sciences right now. But it's all done as fun, the math is kept to a
minimum, and you are constantly encouraged to playwith the ideas. So, have fun,
dear reader; the book is talking about your self,in the ultimate reckoning.
I wouldliketo thankfirstand foremost Sidney Solomon ofTheSolomon Press
without whose perseverance the book would have never seen daylight. I also wish
to express my appreciation for the typographie design by Raymond Solomon and
the fine editorial and production work by Eve Brant. I thank RajivMalhotra and
vii
viii Prefaceand Acknowledgments
the Infinity Foundation for partial financial support during the course ofwriting
this book. I amindebted to the many students, too many to acknowledgeindividu
ally, who were instrumental to bestow me with the sense of purpose that is so
essential for every creative endeavor. Thanks are also due to Maggie Free for her
help with editing and to [an Blankenship for numerous secretarial help without
which the bookwould have been impossible to complete. I thank you alt.
-A.G.
March 1999
c . ,
Chapter 1
Introduction: TheImportance of thePhysicists'ViewofNatureforEveryone 1
Why Is the Physicists' ViewofNature Irnportant for Everyone? 2
PARTONE
THE DEVELOPMENTOFCLASSICAL PHYSICS 11
Chapter 2
TheBeginnings of Classical Physics 13
Anomaly: Geocentric Universe 15
Anomaly:Natural Motion and Aristotle's LawofFalling Bodies 17
Anomaly:Heavenlyand Earthly Motion 18
Bacon, Descartes, and the Birth ofModernism 19
Galileo and Falling Bodies 23
Kepler's Vision:HeavenlyMotion isnot Perfeet 30
Some Final Comments 34
Chapter 3
TheFoundations ofthe Newtonian Paradigm: the Laws ofMotion 37
Zeno's Paradoxes 38
Average and Instantaneous Speeds 40
Newton's First LawofMotion and the Concept ofInertia 42
Newton's Second LawofMotion 46
Newton's Third Law:Forces Come in Action-Reaction Pairs 48
Falling Bodies and the LawsofNewton 51
Mass,Weight, and ApparentWeightlessness 51
Newton's Second LawinSports 53
The LawofMomentum Conservation 55
Center ofMass 57
Reactionless Drive in Science Fiction 59
Why Laws? Whya Cosmic Code? 62
ScienceVersus Religions: LawsVersus Miracles 63
ix
x Contents
Chapter4
TheDenouement: the Universal Gravity Law 65
The Apple and the Moon:
Newton's Creative Discovery ofthe LawofUniversal Gravity 66
The Newtonian Framework ofClassicalPhysics 77
In View ofDeterminism, Do We Need God? 80
Chapter5
Matter. Energy. Conservation Laws. andthe Rlse ofMaterialism 83
The Atomic Picture 84
Density 87
Pressure 87
Atoms, Elements, and Compounds 90
Nuclei and Plasma 92
The Search for Elementary Partieles 93
Energy Is Eternal Delight 94
Kinetic and Potential Energy 95
Conservation ofEnergy 98
Units ofEnergy and Power 101
Angular Momentuni and Rotational Motion 102
Conservation Lawsand Cartesian Dualism 110
The Rise ofMaterial Monism 111
Science and Spirituality 113
PARTIWO
FROMBEING TO BECOMING 115
Chapter6
Thermodynamics andIts Laws 117
Different Forms ofEnergy 124
Chapter7
Progressivity andEnergy Consumption 131
Perpetual Motion Machines and Real Engines 132
Chemical Energy 139
The Thermal Power Plants That Use FossilPuds 140
The Automobile Engine 141
The Physics ofNuclear Energy 143
Nuclear Fission Power 145
CanWe Sustain Progressivity? 148
Chapter8
Energy andEnvironment 153
Chemistry, Crocodiles, and Air Pollution 153
Radioactivity 157
Dangers from Radioactivity 159
Thermal Pollution 162
Deep Ecology:an Alternative to Material Progressivity 165
Contents xi
Chapter 9
FromBelngto Becomlng: Entropy, Llfe, andChaosTheory 167
The EntropyArrow ofTime 170
Evolution in Physicsand in Biology 172
Chaos Theory 176
Chapter 10
HeatDeath,Hangups, andthe Question of Design 181
The Universe Has Its Hangups 182
Is There Design in Becoming? 183
The Anthropic Principle 186
PARTTHREE
WAVES, FJELDS, AND EINSTEIN'S UNIVERSE 189
Chapter 11
TheMotion OfWaves 191
Water and SoundWaves 192
BasicCharacteristics ofWaves 193
Doppler Effect 201
Chapter 12
Wave Interactions 207
Reflection ofWaves 207
Refraction ofWaves 211
Interference and Diffraction ofWaves 220
Linearity ofWaves and the Superposition Principle 220
Interference ofSound and Light 224
Diffraction ofWaves 227
Why isthe SkyBIue? 232
Chapter 13
Sound andMuslcandLightandColor 235
Stationary or StandingWaves 237
Resonance 240
ThoseWonderful Optical Instruments 244
Optical Illusions 251
Perception ofDepth 252
The Wonders ofColor 254
The Subjectivity ofWave Sensing 258
Chapter 14
Electrlclty, Magnetlsm,Flelds, andWaves 261
Electricity and Gravity 264
Electrical Interactions 265
The Electric Field 265
Electric Currents 269
Currents and Magnetic Fields 271
Can Magnetism Produce Electricity? 274
Light asElectromagneticWave 276