Dr Faustus of Modern Physics - Department of Speech, Music and ...

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94 CHAPTER 21. EINSTEIN: I DID IT! statement “one meter is 100 centimeters” can be used to define what a centimeter is, and vice versa. To subject an analytic statement to experimental observation would be ridiculous: To check by experiment if there are 100 centimeters on a meter would not give a Nobel Prize, just laughs. So if an experiment is set up to test a statement, that is a sign that the statement is viewed to be synthetic. A definition in mathematics is an analytic statement, while an axiom as basic postulate is to be viewed as a synthetic statement, which in principle may be true or false, but as an axiom is assumed to be true. Figure 21.1: To understand the difference between a definition and an axiom is essential in mathematics.
21.2. DOUBLE ANALYTIC-SYNTHETIC STATEMENTS 95 21.2 Double Analytic-Synthetic Statements In modern physics the distinction between a definition (analytic statement) and synthetic statement is sometimes blurred into statements which are viewed to be both analytic (true by definition) and synthetic about some reality (true or false), or rather sometimes analytic and sometimes synthetic, sometimes definition and sometimes fact. Such a statement makes it possible to say something about reality which cannot be denied, and it is directly recognized as such. When you hear a physicist making a statement claiming that something cannot be denied, then the statement is such a double analytic-synthetic statement. As a preparation you may ask yourself if the statement “well educated people are superior to not so well educated people” is analytic or synthetic? Maybe the answer is not so clear. Is it in fact such a double analytic-synthetic statement? See also my knol Is One Dollar = One Euro? Einstein’s mastery can be admired in his careful choice of axioms of special and general relativity: • The speed of light in vacuum is constant. • Heavy mass is equal to inertial mass. The constancy of the speed of light is a definition since according to the 1983 standard length unit of a meter is defined as a certain fraction of a lightsecond = the distance traveled by light in one second. The speed of light is thus by definition equal to 1 lightsecond per second, no more no less. On the other hand, a physicist is convinced that the speed of light is constant as a physical fact. A physicist would say that because the speed of light is constant in reality, it can be used to define the length standard. So we have a definition which is a physical fact at the same time: Double analytic-synthetic. Einstein was a master of this form of double-play: The basic assumption of special relativity is that the speed of light is constant, and Einstein uses this statement sometimes as analytic and sometimes as synthetic. Very clever and very confusing. But according to Kant it is not reasonable. In general relativity Einstein uses the equality of heavy and inertial mass both as definition and physical fact. In this case experimental verification of equality could give a Nobel Prize.
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Dr Faustus of Modern Physics Claes
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4 CONTENTS 6.5 Quantum Leap . . . .
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6 CONTENTS III Paradoxes and Catast
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8 CONTENTS 37.5 Heisenberg . . . .
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10 CONTENTS
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2 CONTENTS Figure 1: Einstein in fr
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4 CONTENTS
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Chapter 1 Deal with the Devil Newto
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1.2. BOLTZMANN: TRAGEDY OF CLASSICA
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1.3. PLANCK: FATHER OF MODERN PHYSI
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1.4. BOHR: DIRECTOR OF MODERN PHYSI
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1.5. PRANDTL: FATHER OF MODERN FLUI
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1.7. THE FAUSTUS LEGEND 17 from the
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Chapter 2 The Sacrifice The sacrifi
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Chapter 3 The Tragical History of t
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3.3. THE QUEST FOR MAGICS OF SCIENC
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3.4. THE PACT WITH LUCIFER 25 devot
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3.5. DR FAUSTUS SPEAKS 27 Figure 3.
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Chapter 4 Faust by Goethe What a ma
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Chapter 5 Oxford Faust Festival 201
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Chapter 6 Battle: Continuous vs Dis
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6.4. DAMNED QUANTUM JUMPING 35 tion
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Chapter 7 Zeno’s Paradox Hide our
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7.4. WHO RESOLVED ZENO’S ARROW PA
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Chapter 8 Wellposed vs Illposed I d
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Page 86 and 87: 76 CHAPTER 16. DID GOD NOT CREATE U
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Page 92 and 93: 82 CHAPTER 18. END OF PHYSICS? and
Page 94 and 95: 84 CHAPTER 19. QUANTUM FIELD MAGICS
Page 96 and 97: 86 CHAPTER 20. MAX BORN: I DID IT!
Page 106 and 107: 96 CHAPTER 21. EINSTEIN: I DID IT!
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Page 111 and 112: Chapter 22 Loschmidt’s Reversibil
Page 113 and 114: Chapter 23 The Ultraviolet Catastro
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Page 117 and 118: Chapter 25 Collapse of Schrödinger
Page 119 and 120: Chapter 26 D’Alembert’s Paradox
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Page 123: Part IV Physics Tribunal 113
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Page 133 and 134: 28.1. LIFE AND WORK 123 constitutio
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Page 139 and 140: Chapter 29 Planck 29.1 Life and Wor
Page 141 and 142: 29.1. LIFE AND WORK 131 Figure 29.1
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Page 147 and 148: 30.2. CONFESSION 137 to philosopher
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Page 151 and 152: Chapter 31 Bohr 31.1 Life and Work
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31.2. CONFESSION 145 classical conc
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Chapter 32 Prandtl 32.1 Life and Wo
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32.2. CONFESSION 149 adheres to the
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Chapter 33 Motives Feeling and long
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33.1. SUMMARY OF MOTIVES 153 Figure
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Part VI Witnesses 155
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158 CHAPTER 34. STATISTICS: BOLTZMA
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160 CHAPTER 35. RADIATION: PLANCK
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162 CHAPTER 35. RADIATION: PLANCK
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164 CHAPTER 36. RELATIVITY: EINSTEI
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166 CHAPTER 36. RELATIVITY: EINSTEI
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168 CHAPTER 37. QUANTUM MECHANICS:
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178 CHAPTER 38. BOUNDARY LAYER: PRA
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180 CHAPTER 38. BOUNDARY LAYER: PRA
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Chapter 39 Nobel Prize: Planck The
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Chapter 40 Nobel Prize: Einstein +
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40.1. DOUBLE PLAY OF QUANTUM MECHAN
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Chapter 41 Atomic Bomb: Einstein +
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Chapter 42 Copenhagen Interpretatio
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193 Figure 42.1: Bohr and Einstein
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42.2. THE EPR CONTROVERSY 1935 195
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Chapter 43 Copenhagen Play Copenhag
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Chapter 44 Corruption of Climate Sc
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Chapter 45 Large Hadron Collider Ph
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Chapter 46 Mathematics as Magics
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Chapter 47 God as Mathematician or
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207 • Even if there is only one p
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Chapter 48 Penguin Logic Man has su
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211 • If we assume Heisenberg’s
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Part VIII One Mind vs Many Minds 21
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216 CHAPTER 49. GALILEO’S DIALOG
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218 CHAPTER 50. QFT AND MURDERER-VI
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220 CHAPTER 51. FINITE PRECISION CO
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222 CHAPTER 51. FINITE PRECISION CO
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224 CHAPTER 52. MANY-MINDS PHYSICS
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232 BIBLIOGRAPHY [13] A. Pais, Subt
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