CONS
ZG552: FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS
1st
Semester
General
Information
Time:
W: 7:00-8:30 P.M., S: 8:00-9:30am;
Venue:
Room #207
Instructors: Prof. R. Gomatam, PhD and Prof. P. K. Joshi, PhD
Course
Description
The prerequisite for
this course is either a major in physics, or a major that included college
level courses in mathematics and physics. Enrollment needs the instructor's
permission.
This course focuses on critically studying and learning about foundational
or open problems in physics through the study of selected seminal papers in
different branches of physics. Students will learn how to critically read
these papers and connect them to Consciousness Studies. The selected papers
will usually vary each time the course is offered.
To facilitate a proper grasp of the selected papers, the instructor will
determine the basic physics needed to understand these papers and teach it
in the first part of the course. In the past, this material has included:
Special Theory of Relativity (Michelson-Morley experiment; Lorentz
transformations; length contraction; time dilation; mass-energy
equivalence), thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, the theory of
electromagnetism (Maxwell's equations), and the General Theory of Relativity
(principle of equivalence; space-time curvature; gravitation and metric;
experimental evidence for General Theory of Relativity). Students whose
basic degree is in physics can opt to skip these basic lectures and instead
read and present extra papers in the foundations of physics with the
instructor's permission.
In the second part of the course, the instructor divides the selected papers
equally amongst the students, and the students study each paper with the
instructor's help. Then each student gives seminars on the papers assigned
to him/her, leads the subsequent discussions and answers questions. The
course evaluation and grade will primarily be based on seminar performances.
Text books and source
materials for the course will be as follows:
Part
I (Philosophy of Physics)
Cushing,
J (1998) Philosophical Concepts in Physics, Cambridge University
Press
Gomatam,
R. (1998) On Integrating Bohr and Einstein, Ph.D. Dissertation, Bombay
University; Chapter 5;
Gomatam, R. (1999a)
Quantum Theory and the observation Problem, J. of Consciousness
Studies, 6(11:12), special issue on “Reclaiming Cognition”
Language,
Philosophy and Physics - Book
manuscript under preparation
Schilpp,
P.A. (1947) Einstein: Philosopher –Scientist, (Illinois: Open Court)
Part
II (Special Theory of
Relativity and General Theory of Relativity)
Bohm,
D. (1965) The Special Theory of Relativity (New York: W.A. Benjamin
Inc)
Born,
M. (1922), Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (New York: Dover Publications)
Resnick,
R. & Halliday, D. (1972) Basic Concepts in Relativity and Early Quantum
Theory (New York: Wiley)
Stephenson,
G. (1958) Special Relativity for Physicists (Newyork: Longmans Green)
Part
III (Paper Readings)
Einstein,
A. (1937) Physics and Reality, J. Franklin Institute, 22(3), p.
349-82
Von
Laue, M. (1947) Inertia and Energy in Schilpp (1947),
p. 501-533
Godel,
K. (1947) A Remark About the Relationship Between Relativity Theory and
Idealistic Philosophy in Schilpp (1947), p. 555-562
Reichenbach,
H. (1947) The Philosophical Significance of the Theory of Relativity in
Schilpp (1947),
p. 287-311
Norton,
J. (1987) Einstein, The Hole Argument and the Reality of Space in
Measurement, Realism and Objectivity, Forge, J. (ed.) (Boston: D. Reidel), p.
363-396
Teller,
P. (1991) Substance, Relations and Arguments About Nature of Space – Time,
The Philosophical Review, C: 3 (July) p. 153-188
Evaluation
Components
There
will be six evaluation components: one test (10 marks) covering part-I &
II, four paper reading/presentations of fifteen marks each, and a final
comprehensive (30 marks). For paper readings, the fifteen marks shall be
awarded for each paper as follows: 5 marks for participation of the class room
discussion on the paper; 5 marks for oral presentation; 5 marks for a quiz to
follow the oral presentation.
Modulewise
course content:
Part
I (Philosophy of Physics)
Module
1:
Inductive
reasoning and limits of ‘provability’ of propositions; falsifiability
criterion; Cartesian notion of ‘intuition’ as the basis for deducing
scientific propositions; Platonic idea of “innate forms”.
[Cushing, p. 5-9, p. 4]
Science
as a wholly conceptual exercise; scientific knowledge and its essential basis
in epistemology [Gomatam, 1998]
Module
2:
Nature
of concepts; role of ordinary language in scientific theory making; philosophy
of science in the context of justification and context of discovery; [Gomatam,
1999c] Einstein’s conception of the scientific method. [Gomatam, 1998]
Module
3:
The
Theme of Scientific Imagination ; pragmatism; physical object as a
symbol/token; relation between physics and reality; conceptual relativism;
meaning of the term ‘electron’ in different phases of physics [Gomatam,
1999c]
Further
discussion of the Platonic idea of the possibility for ‘error-free’, i.e.
true knowledge. Empiricism versus rationalism [Cushing, p. 5-6; 9-11]
Module
4:
Paper
discussion: “Geometry and Experience”, Einstein, A. (1921)
Numbers
as pure concepts; Einstein’s distinction between “axiomatic” and
“practical” geometry; Einstein’s notion of the relation between
mathematics and physics;
Module
5:
Geometry
and Experience, Einstein, A. (1921) paper discussion continued.
Formal
symbol systems; measurement and reality (measurement of ‘length’ treated
as an example); the role of ‘faith’ in the existence of the external world
[Gomatam, 1999c]
Aristotelian
notion of motion; [Cushing, p. 15-22; ] difference between Aristotelian notion
of ‘potentia’ and quantum states represented by superposition [Gomatam,
1999b]; Galileo/Newtonian notion of inertia; kinematics and dynamics [Cushing,
76-92].
Newton’s
philosophy of science; [Cushing, p. 93-95]; Bacon’s analysis of inductive
reasoning [Cushing, p. 23-24]; Humean assault on the notion of natural cause;
Kant’s system; The point of departure marking Einstein’s philosophy of
science - “free creation of concepts” [Gomatam, 1998].
Part
II (Special Theory of Relativity and General Theory of Relativity)
|
Modules |
Course
Outline |
No.
of Class Hours |
|
#8 |
Newton’s
laws of motion |
1.5 |
|
#9 |
Mechanics
of single particle , Waves |
1.5 |
|
#10 |
Waves,
Concepts of space and time |
1.5 |
|
#11 |
Introduction
to relativity: Pre-Einstein notion of relativity, laws of
electrodynamics and Michelson-Morley Experiments.
|
1.5 |
|
#12 |
Lorentz
theory and Lorentz transformations |
1.5 |
|
|
Review
Lecture |
1.5 |
|
#13 |
Analysis
of space-time in relativity |
1.5 |
|
#14 |
Space-time
– Principle of relativity |
1.5 |
|
#15 |
Energy,
mass and momentum in relativity |
1.5 |
|
#16 |
Charged
particles in relativity and experimental evidences |
1.5 |
|
#17 |
Minkowskian
diagrams and geometry of space-time |
1.5 |
|
#18 |
Causality,
maximum propagation speeds, time, twin paradox and reconstruction of
past |
1.5 |
|
#19 |
GTR
– Lecture 1 |
1.5 |
|
#20 |
GTR
– Lecture 2 |
1.5 |
Part
III (Assigned Paper Readings)
|
Modules |
Papers |
No.
of Class Hours |
|
#2 |
#Paper
I |
5 |
|
#22 |
#Paper
II |
3 |
|
#23 |
#Paper
III |
3 |
|
#24 |
#Paper
IV |
3 |
Note: Modules 21-24 will
each have three parts: paper discussion, oral presentation and quiz.