Overview
- Demonstrates the close and fascinating connection between the earth sciences and cosmological theory as seen in parts of the twentieth century
- Details from a historical perspective the hypothesis that gravitational force varies in time, an alternative to Einstein’s theory of general relativity
- Presents for the first time a full history of the varying-gravity hypothesis, integrating aspects of cosmology, geology and astronomy
- Discusses the broader philosophical significance of the development of the varying-gravity hypothesis
Part of the book series: Science Networks. Historical Studies (SNHS, volume 54)
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Table of contents (4 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
The main focus of this book is on the interconnection of two unorthodox scientific ideas, the varying-gravity hypothesis and the expanding-earth hypothesis. As such, it provides a fascinating insight into a nearly forgotten chapter in both the history of cosmology and the history of the earth sciences.
The hypothesis that the force of gravity decreases over cosmic time was first proposed by Paul Dirac in 1937. In this book the author examines in detail the historical development of Dirac’s hypothesis and its consequences for the structure and history of the earth, the most important of which was that the earth must have been smaller in the past.
Reviews
“The main idea underlying Kragh’s book is the link between varying gravity and the older idea assuming an ‘expansion of the Earth’ in past epochs, discussed since the nineteenth century among geologists and astronomers. … Kragh’s book is a fine example of an inspiring investigation in the history and philosophy of science. I imagine that it will also be of interest to readers with a background in the earth sciences.” (Hubert Goenner, Isis, Vol. 107 (4), December, 2016)
“This book is a stimulating reading material because it contains a lot of historical and systematic information in cosmology and geophysics. Moreover, it shows how fantasy can help to overcome disciplinary borderlines … .” (Horst-Heino von Borzeszkowski, zbMATH 1344.83007, 2016)
Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Varying Gravity
Book Subtitle: Dirac’s Legacy in Cosmology and Geophysics
Authors: Helge Kragh
Series Title: Science Networks. Historical Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24379-5
Publisher: Birkhäuser Cham
eBook Packages: Mathematics and Statistics, Mathematics and Statistics (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-24377-1Published: 16 February 2016
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-79615-4Published: 30 March 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-24379-5Published: 05 February 2016
Series ISSN: 1421-6329
Series E-ISSN: 2296-6080
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 185
Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations, 12 illustrations in colour
Topics: History of Mathematical Sciences, Cosmology, Geophysics and Environmental Physics