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Methodological Aspects of the Development of Low Temperature Physics 1881–1956

Concepts Out of Context(s)

  • Book
  • © 1989

Overview

Authors:
  1. Kostas Gavroglu

    1. Department of Physics, National Technical University, Athens, Greece

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  2. Yorgos Goudaroulis

    1. Physics Division, School of Technology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: Science and Philosophy (SCPH, volume 4)

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
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  2. The how

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. “Translating” unexpected phenomena into the right physical problems

      • Kostas Gavroglu, Yorgos Goudaroulis
      Pages 3-41

  3. The What

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 43-43
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    2. Early research at Leiden and some of its methodological implications

      • Kostas Gavroglu, Yorgos Goudaroulis
      Pages 45-61

    3. Superconductivity: the paradox that was not

      • Kostas Gavroglu, Yorgos Goudaroulis
      Pages 62-90

    4. Superfluidity: old concepts in search of new contexts

      • Kostas Gavroglu, Yorgos Goudaroulis
      Pages 91-115

  4. The therefore

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 117-117
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    2. (Re-)reading the developments

      • Kostas Gavroglu, Yorgos Goudaroulis
      Pages 119-136

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 137-178
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Keywords

About this book

This book is primarily about the methodological questions involved in attempts to understand two of the most peculiar phenomena in physics, both occurring at the lowest of temperatures. Superconductivity (the disappearance of electrical resistance) and superfluidity (the total absence of viscosity in liquid helium) are not merely peculiar in their own right. Being the only macroscopic quantum phenomena they also manifest a sudden and dramatic change even in those properties which have been amply used within the classical framework and which were thought to be fully understood after the advent of quantum theory. A few years ago we set ourselves the task of carrying out a methodological study of the "most peculiar" phenomena in physics and trying to understand the process by which an observed (rather than predicted) new phenomenon gets "translated" into a physical problem. We thought the best way of deciding which phenomena to choose was to rely on our intuitive notion about the "degrees of peculiarity" developed, no doubt, during the past ten years of active research in theoretical atomic and elementary particle physics. While the merits of the different candidates were compared, we were amazed to realize that neither the phenomena of the very small nor those of the very large could compete with the phenomena of the very cold. These were truly remarkable phenomena if for no other reason than for the difficulties encountered in merely describing them.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Physics, National Technical University, Athens, Greece

    Kostas Gavroglu

  • Physics Division, School of Technology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Yorgos Goudaroulis

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Methodological Aspects of the Development of Low Temperature Physics 1881–1956

  • Book Subtitle: Concepts Out of Context(s)

  • Authors: Kostas Gavroglu, Yorgos Goudaroulis

  • Series Title: Science and Philosophy

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2556-4

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Kluwer Academic Publishers 1989

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-247-3699-7Published: 31 December 1988

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-010-7655-5Published: 21 September 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-009-2556-4Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0924-4697

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 178

  • Topics: Philosophy of Science

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