物理学史与哲学
The following questions are germane to our understanding of gauge-(in)variant quantities and physical possibility: how are gauge transformations and spacetime diffeomorphisms understood as symmetries, in which ways are they similar, and in…
The following questions are germane to our understanding of gauge-(in)variant quantities and physical possibility: how are gauge transformations and spacetime diffeomorphisms understood as symmetries, in which ways are they similar, and in…
Recently there has been a great deal of interest in tabletop experiments intended to exhibit the quantum nature of gravity by demonstrating that it can induce entanglement. We argue that these experiments also provide new information about…
An unambiguous accordance between an objective lens for Ayscough's telescope 'Adapted to Use at Sea' and another compound lens which was described by William Eastland in well-known Quere during the trial in October of 1765 was revealed.…
This work discusses the presence of a dogmatic tendency within modern cosmology, and some ideas capable of neutralizing its negative influence. It is verified that warnings about the dangers of dogmatic thinking in cosmology can be found as…
Harrigan and Spekkens (2010) provided a categorization of quantum ontological models classifying them as $\psi$-ontic or $\psi$-epistemic if the quantum state describes respectively either a physical reality or mere observers' knowledge.…
We revisit the vexed question of how unpredictability can arise in a deterministic universe, focusing on unitary quantum theory. We discuss why quantum unpredictability is irrelevant for the possibility of what some people call `free-will',…
This work presents a brief and non-technical description of the main results and concepts of the modern scientific cosmology, viewing it from an epistemological perspective which allows a dialog with other modes of thinking like e.g.…
Because closed timelike curves are consistent with general relativity, many have asserted that time travel into the past is physically possible if not technologically infeasible. However, the possibility of time travel into the past rests…
I argue against the many-world interpretation (MWI) of quantum theory by emphasizing that when everything is entangled with everything else, in one big monstrous piece, there is no room left for creativity. Since the MWI was invented, it…
Substantial grounds exist to doubt the universal validity of the Newtonian Paradigm that requires a pre-stated, fixed phase space. Therefore, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, stated only for fixed phase spaces, is also in doubt. The…
Supplementing earlier literature by e.g. Tipler, Clarke, & Ellis (1980), Israel (1987), Thorne, (1994), Earman (1999), Senovilla & Garfinkle (2015), Curiel (2019ab), and Landsman (2021ab), I provide a historical and conceptual analysis of…
Two of the major achievements of Stephen Hawking are described in elementary terms. They are his work on the beginning of the universe and his work on the end of black holes. These are perhaps the scientific achievements for which he is…
It is known from quantum mechanics that particles are associated with wave functions, and that the probability of observing a particle at some future location is proportional to the squared modulus of the amplitude of its wave function.…
In electrostatics, we can use either potential energy or field energy to ensure conservation of energy. In electrodynamics, the former option is unavailable. To ensure conservation of energy, we must attribute energy to the electromagnetic…
Editorial Note with a mathematical and historical introduction to a 1932 paper by Erwin Schr\"odinger on the generalization of the Dirac equation to a curved spacetime -- to appear in the 'Golden Oldie' section of the Journal of General…
A remarkable book on weather forecasting was published just one hundred years ago. Written by the brilliant and prescient applied mathematician, Lewis Fry Richardson, Weather Prediction by Numerical Process was published by Cambridge…
Among the geniuses of mankind, Einstein was probably one of those who made more erroneous claims, and often changed his opinion during the years on important scientific subjects. However, it is important to bear in mind that his mistakes…
We use standard tools of Archaeoastronomy to approach the study of orientations, possibly astronomical, of a group of colonial Christian churches. We present preliminary results of the analysis of the precise spatial orientation of nearly…
One of the foremost goals of research in physics is to find the most basic and universal theories that describe our universe. Many theories assume the presence of an absolute space and time in which the physical objects are located and…