Related papers: Robert Millikan, Japanese Internment, and Eugenics
In 1916 Einstein introduced the first rules for a quantum theory of electromagnetic radiation, and he applied them to a model of matter in thermal equilibrium with radiation to derive Planck's black-body formula. Einstein's treatment is…
John Archibald Wheeler was a theoretical physicist who worked on both down-to-earth projects and highly speculative ideas, and always emphasized the importance of experiment and observation, even when speculating wildly. His research and…
We present a brief review of the impact that Albert Einstein's visit to Argentina had on the scientific community and on the general public. Among other particularities, his visit was, at a certain point, somewhat disconcerting: not only…
As first noted by Rafael Sorkin, there is a limit to quantum interference. The interference pattern formed in a multi-slit experiment is a function of the interference patterns formed between pairs of slits, there are no genuinely new…
Once upon a time, scientists' worth was measured by their ideas, proofs, and perhaps how eloquently they debated Hilbert's problems at seminars. But now, citation metrics have come to center stage and handed us new masters: FWCI and CNCI.…
This study utilizes global digitalized books and articles to examine the scientific fame of the most influential physicists. Our research reveals that the greatest minds are gone but not forgotten. Their scientific impacts on human history…
This note is based on a relatively unknown paper of Albert Einstein published in 1941 in the Revista de la Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. That work can be regarded as the prequel of the one written in 1943 in collaboration with Wolfgang…
Philosophers have spilled much ink over the discovery of ideas in the classical 'context of discovery'. However, there has been little engagement with the question of what constitutes a discovery of 'things in the world'. A much-overlooked…
Albert Einstein postulated the equivalence of energy and mass, developed the theory of special relativity, explained the photoelectric effect, and described Brownian motion in five papers, all published in 1905, 100 years ago. With these…
This article concerns the life and work of Lucjan Emil B\"ottcher (1872-1937), a Polish mathematician. Besides biographical and bibliographical information, it contains a survey of his mathematical achievements in the theory of iteration…
The power-point presentation \cite{ppt} provided herein shows exactly why Einstein's field equations of his general relativity are based on an illogical approach to representing the observable world. Einstein had, in fact, discarded these…
The Tolman effect is well-known in relativistic cosmology but rarely discussed outside it. That is surprising because the effect -- that systems extended over a varying gravitational potential exhibit temperature gradients while in thermal…
Peter Higgs was a British theoretical physicist, famous for his work published in 1964, where he proposed a mechanism that can generate masses for elementary particles, while respecting gauge invariance. Half a century later, two…
We point out that the Nobel prize production of the USA, the UK, Germany and France has been in numbers that are large enough to allow for a reliable analysis or the long-term historical developments. Nobel prizes are often split, such that…
A number of elite thinkers in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries pursued an agenda which historian Paolo Rossi calls the "quest for a universal language," a quest which was deeply interwoven with the emergence of the scientific…
In this manuscript we present a brief life history of Ludwig Edward Boltzmann and his achivements. Particularly, we discuss his H-theorem, his work on entropy and statistical interpretation of second-law of thermodynamics. We point out his…
As per Einstein's design, particles are introduced into the double-slit experiment through a small hole in a plate which can either move up and down (and its momentum can be measured) or be stopped (and its position can be measured).…
We analyse a gedankenexperiment previously considered by Mari et al. that involves quantum superpositions of charged and/or massive bodies ("particles") under the control of the observers, Alice and Bob. In the electromagnetic case, we show…
In November 2014 Alexander Grothendieck passed away at the age of 86. There is no doubt that he was one of the greatest and most innovative mathematicians of the 20th century. After a bitter childhood, his meteoric ascent started in the…
This Introduction opens the collection "Physics in A Mad World" devoted to two outstanding physicists whose destinies were deeply intertwined with the tragedies and drama of the times in which they lived. Friedrich (Fritz) Houtermans was…