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his is a textbook for a survey course in physics taught without mathematics, that also takes into account the social impact and influences from the arts and society. It combines physics, literature, history and philosophy from the dawn of human life to the 21st century. It will also be of interest to the general reader.
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The Poetry of Physics and The Physics of Poetry 7657 tp.indd 1 5/11/10 9:44:31 AM This page intentionally left blank The Poetry of Physics and The Physics of Poetry Robert K Logan Department of Physics University of Toronto, Canada and Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) Ontario College of Art and Design World Scientific NEW JERSEY 7657 tp.indd 2 • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TA I P E I • CHENNAI 5/11/10 9:44:31 AM Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. THE POETRY OF PHYSICS AND THE PHYSICS OF POETRY Copyright © 2010 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. ISBN-13 ISBN-10 ISBN-13 ISBN-10 978-981-4295-92-5 981-4295-92-2 978-981-4295-93-2 (pbk) 981-4295-93-0 (pbk) Printed in Singapore. Alvin - The Peotry of Phys and the Phys.pmd 1 4/29/2010, 10:34 AM This book is dedicated to my students, past and present, of the Poetry of Physics as well as Rebecca F., Haviva, Jacob, Joshua, Rebecca L., Natalie, David, Renee, John, Paul and Mana. v This page intentionally left blank Contents Chapter 1 To My Readers 1 Chapter 2 The Origin of Physics 5 Chapter 3 Ancient Science of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China 11 Chapter 4 Physics of the Ancient Greek Era 23 Chapter 5 The Roots of the Scientific Revolution 37 Chapter 6 Mechanics, Planetary Motion and the Modern Science Revolution 45 Chapter 7 Poetry Influenced by the Scientific Revolution 67 Chapter 8 The Concept of the Atom, the Atomic Structure of Matter and the Origin of Chemistry 77 Chapter 9 The Concept of Energy 83 Chapter 10 Thermodynamics and the Atomic and Molecular Structure of Matter 89 Chapter 11 Electricity and Magnetism 97 Chapter 12 Electromagnetic Radiation and Wave Behaviour 105 Chapter 13 Prelude to Relativity 113 Chapter 14 The Special Theory of Relativity 121 vii viii Contents Chapter 15 The General Theory of Relativity 139 Chapter 16 Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions and the Impact of the Theory of Relativity 151 Chapter