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Relativity and the Nature of Spacetime

  • Book
  • © 2009

Overview

Authors:
  1. Vesselin Petkov

    1. Liberal Arts College, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

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  • A must for all theoretical physicists and philosophers of science
  • Second edition is significantly expanded with new and strengthened arguments
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: The Frontiers Collection (FRONTCOLL)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
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  2. Introduction

    • Vesselin Petkov
    Pages 1-9

  3. From Galileo to Minkowski

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 10-11
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  4. Part I From Galileo to Minkowski

    1. On the Impossibility of Detecting Uniform Motion

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 15-27

    2. Exploring the Internal Logic of Galileo’s Principle of Relativity

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 29-53

    3. Relativity in Euclidean Space and in Spacetime

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 55-116

  5. On the Nature of Spacetime:Conceptual and Philosophical Issues

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 118-120
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  6. Part II On the Nature of Spacetime:

    1. Relativity and the Dimensionality of the World: Spacetime Is Real

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 121-152

    2. Why Is the Issue of the Nature of Spacetime So Important?

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 153-175

  7. Implications of the Reality of Spacetime for Physics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 178-182
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  8. Part III Implications of the Reality of Spacetime for Physics

    1. Propagation of Light in Non-Inertial Reference Frames

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 183-220

    2. Calculating the Electric Field of a Charge in a Non-Inertial Reference Frame

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 221-236

    3. Inertia as a Manifestation of the Reality of Spacetime

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 237-264

    4. Spacetime and the Nature of Quantum Objects

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 265-276

    5. Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, Appendix D

      • Vesselin Petkov
      Pages 277-299

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 1-16
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Keywords

About this book

This expanded second edition of Relativity and the Nature of Spacetime c- tains several major changes and a number of additions to different ch- ters. Two chapters (Chaps. 6 and 7), which discussed two speci?c groups of arguments against the reality of spacetime, have been transformed into - pendices (A and B). Two new chapters (Chaps. 6 and 10) have been added. Chapter 6, entitled Why Is the Issue of the Nature of Spacetime So Imp- tant?, elaborates on what was Sect. 5. 6 of the ?rst edition, and addresses some recent work on the nature of spacetime – for example, the growing (or evolving) block universe model of the world, which has recently been - vived by several physicists as what appears to be the last remaining alter- tive to the Minkowski absolute four-dimensional world (after it had become an undeniable fact that three-dimensionalism, or presentism, contradicts the relativistic experimental evidence). Chapter 10, entitled Spacetime and the Nature of Quantum Objects and based on what used to be Sects. 6. 2 and 6. 3 in the ?rst edition, explores the implications of the issue of the nature of spacetime for quantum physics, in order to see whether it can provide some insight into the nature of quantum objects. Two new sections have been included, namely, Sect. 5. 6 entitled Re- tivization of Existence and Observers in General Relativity and Sect. 7. 6 - titled Probing the Anisotropic Velocity of Light by a Terrestrial Experiment.

Reviews

From the reviews of the second edition:

“The book under review is mainly devoted to the physical consequences of special relativity and to the unveiling of the very nature of spacetime. … The book is clear and well written and the bibliographic references are very good. It is recommended to physicists and to philosophers of science.” (Francesco Sorge, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2011 i)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Liberal Arts College, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

    Vesselin Petkov

About the author

Presently: Assistant Professor, Science College, Concordia University (in fact, I am associated with three departments - Liberal Arts College, Philosophy Department, and Science College)

1984 -1989: Adjunct Professor, Philosophy Department, Sofia University

1986 -1989: Researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Doctoral degrees in theoretical physics (1997, Concordia University) and philosophy of science (1988, Institute of Philosophy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences).

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