Journal ArticleDOI
The Origins of the Field Concept in Physics
TLDR
The notion of field theory was introduced in physics as a technical term in the mid-nineteenth century as discussed by the authors, and it was used to describe a theory consistent with the notion of action at a distance.Abstract:
The term, “field,” made its first appearance in physics as a technical term in the mid-nineteenth century. But the notion of what later came to be called a field had been a long time in gestation. Early discussions of magnetism and of the cause of the ocean tides had long ago suggested the idea of a “zone of influence” surrounding certain bodies. Johannes Kepler's mathematical rendering of the orbital motion of Mars encouraged him to formulate what he called “a true theory of gravity” involving the notion of attraction. Isaac Newton went on to construct an eminently effective dynamics, with attraction as its primary example of force. Was his a field theory? Historians of science disagree. Much depends on whether a theory consistent with the notion of action at a distance ought qualify as a “field” theory. Roger Boscovich and Immanuel Kant later took the Newtonian concept of attraction in new directions. It was left to Michael Faraday to propose the “physical existence” of lines of force and to James Clerk Maxwell to add as criterion the presence of energy as the ontological basis for a full-blown “field theory” of electromagnetic phenomena.read more
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Driving safety field theory modeling and its application in pre-collision warning system
TL;DR: This study presents a vehicle collision warning algorithm based on driving safety field model, which used a new index namely RDSI to evaluate the driving risk level and the effectiveness of this collisionwarning algorithm is verified by field experiments.
Journal ArticleDOI
An Action Field Theory of Peripersonal Space.
TL;DR: This work reconceptualises peripersonal space as a set of graded fields describing behavioural relevance of actions aiming to create or avoid contact between objects and the body, and incorporates PPS into mainstream theories of action selection and behaviour.
Book
Newton as philosopher
TL;DR: In this article, the very idea of Newton as a philosopher is discussed and three interpretations of physics and metaphysics: three interpretations 3. Do forces exist? Contesting the mechanical philosophy, I 4. Matter and mechanism: contesting the mechanistic philosophy, II 5. Space in physics and metaphor: contra Descartes 6.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Foundations of Newton's Alchemy or "The Hunting of the Greene Lyon" (Dobbs, Betty Jo Teeter)
Journal ArticleDOI
Heliospheric conditions that affect the interstellar gas inside the heliosphere
D. R. McMullin,Maciej Bzowski,Eberhard Möbius,A. Pauluhn,Ruth M. Skoug,William T. Thompson,Manfred Witte,R. von Steiger,Daniel Rucinski,Darrell L. Judge,Marek Banaszkiewicz,Rosine Lallement +11 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a compilation of the processes and parameters that affect the distribution of interstellar helium inside the heliosphere and their observation, including the irradiance and line profile of the He 58.4 nm line.
References
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The scientific papers
TL;DR: Physical and psychosocial factors associated with psychostimulant use in a nationally representative sample of French adolescents: Specificities of cocaine, amphetamine, and ecstasy use are studied.
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Experimental researches in electricity
TL;DR: Faraday's early work in electricity and magnetism, including papers on lightning, electric fish, and notes on the elaborate and often beautiful experiments conducted to investigate whether magnetism could produce electricity as discussed by the authors.
Book
The Scientific Papers of James Clerk Maxwell
TL;DR: The publication in 1890 of the two-volume Scientific Papers of James Clerk Maxwell, edited by W. D. Niven, was one of two objects of a committee formed 'for the purpose of securing a fitting memorial of him' (the other object being the commissioning of a marble bust for the Cavendish Laboratory). Before his death in 1879 at the age of 48, Clerk Maxwell had made major contributions to many areas of theoretical physics and mathematics.
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The Correspondence of Isaac Newton
TL;DR: The last volume of the Correspondence is divided into two quite distinct groups: the first group contains the remaining letters of the main chronological sequence written during the closing years of Newton's life, and the second group contains corrections and additions to the letters printed in the earlier volumes of the correspondence.