The Spirit of Unification: The Wei of Physics
History and Philosophy of Physics
2010-07-16 v3 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Abstract
We review, in a historical perspective, developments in physics which led to the emergence of unifying ideas and theories. Some attention is paid to the theoretical programme that started in the second decade of the XXth century and whose objective was to reach a unified description of gravity and electromagnetism. These attempts can be regarded as conceptually akin to the contemporary "theories of everything" which aim to unify all interactions of Nature.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1005.2918,
title = {The Spirit of Unification: The Wei of Physics},
author = {Orfeu Bertolami},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1005.2918},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
Latex, 29 pages. Based on talk delivered at the "Mira Fernandes and his age: An historical Conference in honour of Aureliano de Mira Fernandes (1884-1958)", 17 June 2009, Instituto Superior T\'ecnico, Lisbon, Portugal. Typos corrected