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There is significant interest in the Philosophy of Science community to understand the role that "effective theories" have in the work of forefront science. The ideas of effective theories have been implicit in science for a long time, but have only been articulated well in the last few decades. Since Wilson's renormalization group revolution in the early 1970's, the science community has come to more fully understand its power, and by the mid-1990's it had gained its apotheosis. It is still one of the most powerful concepts in science, which has direct impact in how one thinks about and formulates theories of nature. It is this power that this Brief sets out to emphasize through historical analysis and current examples.

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From the reviews:

“This remarkable and charming book introduces the idea of effective field theories from a novel point of view, making the concepts natural and – in retrospect – inevitable. … it is easily accessible to a graduate student or a bright undergraduate. It will also be welcomed by professional physicists for its readability and clear, compelling style. … The approach is original and makes the whole concept of effective theories clear and natural.” (John Swain, CERN Courier, January-February, 2014)

Authors and Affiliations

PH-TH, CERN, Geneva 23, Switzerland

James D. Wells

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: Effective Theories in Physics
Book Subtitle: From Planetary Orbits to Elementary Particle Masses
Authors: James D. Wells
Series Title: SpringerBriefs in Physics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34892-1
Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-34891-4Published: 14 December 2012
eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-34892-1Published: 14 December 2012
Series ISSN: 2191-5423
Series E-ISSN: 2191-5431
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 73
Topics: Theoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics, History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics, Philosophy of Science

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

Front Matter

The Utility of Effective Theories

Harmonic Oscillator as an Effective Theory

Effective Theories of Classical Gravity

Effective Theories and Elementary Particle Masses

Effective Theories and Theory Choice

Correction to: Effective Theories in Physics

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