Overview
- Presents the views of twenty eminent physicists on fundamental questions of probability
- Demonstrates the central role of probability in our best physical theories
- Presents historical background and new ideas on longstanding questions
- Treats philosophical aspects such as the status of natural laws in general
Part of the book series: The Frontiers Collection (FRONTCOLL)
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Table of contents (18 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
What is the role and meaning of probability in physical theory, in particular in two of the most successful theories of our age, quantum physics and statistical mechanics? Laws once conceived as universal and deterministic, such as Newton‘s laws of motion, or the second law of thermodynamics, are replaced in these theories by inherently probabilistic laws. This collection of essays by some of the world‘s foremost experts presents an in-depth analysis of the meaning of probability in contemporary physics. Among the questions addressed are: How are probabilities defined? Are they objective or subjective? What is their explanatory value? What are the differences between quantum and classical probabilities? The result is an informative and thought-provoking book for the scientifically inquisitive.
Reviews
From the reviews:
“This collection of 18 essays looks at the long-debated role of probability in physics. … This collection leaves readers appreciating the complexity of the philosophical problem. Physicists and philosophers of science should both find this interesting. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals.” (E. Kincanon, Choice, Vol. 50 (1), September, 2012)Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Yemima Ben-Menahem is professor of philosophy at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has written extensively on the philosophy of science and is author of Conventionalism (Cambridge University Press).
Meir Hemmo is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Haifa. He has written extensively on the foundations of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics and is co-author (with Orly Shenker) of The Road to Maxwell’s Demon (forthcoming in Cambridge University of Press).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Probability in Physics
Editors: Yemima Ben-Menahem, Meir Hemmo
Series Title: The Frontiers Collection
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21329-8
Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-642-21328-1Published: 25 January 2012
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-43692-5Published: 22 February 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-21329-8Published: 10 January 2012
Series ISSN: 1612-3018
Series E-ISSN: 2197-6619
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 324
Topics: Complex Systems, Quantum Physics, Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes, Philosophy of Science, Statistical Physics and Dynamical Systems