A Students Guide to Natural Science (Guides To Major Disciplines)

Cover; Title; Contents; Introduction; The Birth of Science; The Second Birth of Science; Science, Religion, and Aristotle; The Scientific Revolution; The Scientific Method; From Copernicus to Newton; Mathematics in a New Role; Newtonian Physics; Forces and Fields; The Twentieth-Century Revolutions in Physics; The Theory of Relativity; How "Revolutionary" Was Relativity?; The Quantum Revolution; The Role of Symmetry; "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics"; Notes; Suggested Reading; Copyright.;Physicist Stephen M. Barr's lucid Student's Guide to Natural Science aims to give students an understanding, in broad outline, of the nature, history, and great ideas of natural science from ancient times to the present, with a primary focus on physics. Barr begins with the contributions of the ancient Greeks, in particular the two great ideas that reality can be understood by the systematic use of reason and that phenomena have natural explanations. He goes on to discuss, among other things, the medieval roots of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, the role played by religion in fostering the idea of a lawful natural order, and the major breakthroughs of modern physics, including how many newer?revolutionary? theories are in fact related to much older ones. Throughout this thoughtful guide, Barr draws his readers' attention to the larger themes and trends of scientific history, including the increasing unification and?mathematization? of our view of the physical world that has resulted in the laws of nature appearing more and more as forming a single harmonious mathematical edifice. A concise introduction to scientific history and ideas, with a special emphasis on physics and astronomy. Physicist Stephen M. Barr’s lucid Student’s Guide to Natural Science aims to give students an understanding, in broad outline, of the nature, history, and great ideas of natural science from ancient times to the present, with a primary focus on physics. Barr begins with the contributions of the ancient Greeks, in particular the two great ideas that reality can be understood by the systematic use of reason and that phenomena have natural explanations. He goes on to discuss, among other things, the medieval roots of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, the role played by religion in fostering the idea of a lawful natural order, and the major breakthroughs of modern physics, including how many newer “revolutionary” theories are in fact related to much older ones. Throughout this thoughtful guide, Barr draws his readers’ attention to the larger themes and trends of scientific history, including the increasing unification and “mathematization” of our view of the physical world that has resulted in the laws of nature appearing more and more as forming a single harmonious mathematical edifice. Physicist Stephen M. Barr's lucid Student's Guide to Natural Science aims to give students an understanding, in broad outline, of the nature, history, and great ideas of natural science from ancient times to the present, with a primary focus on physics. Barr discusses the contributions of the ancient Greeks, the medieval roots of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, the role played by religion in fostering the idea of a lawful natural order, and the major theoretical breakthroughs of modern physics. Throughout this thoughtful guide, Barr draws his readers' attention to the larger themes and trends of scientific history, including the increasing unification of our view of the physical world, in which the laws of nature appear increasingly to form a single harmonious mathematical edifice The ISI Guides to the Major Disciplines are reader-friendly introductions to the most important fields of knowledge in the liberal arts. Written by leading scholars for both students and the general public, they will be appreciated by anyone desiring a reliable and informative tour of important subject matter. Each title offers a historical overview of a particular discipline, explains the central ideas of the subject, and evaluates the works of thinkers whose ideas have shaped our world. These guides will aid students seeking to make better decisions about their course of study, as well as general readers who wish to supplement their education. All who treasure the world of ideas and liberal learning will be motivated by these original and stimulating presentations The ISI Guides to the Major Disciplines are reader-friendly introductions to the most important fields of knowledge in the liberal arts. Written by leading scholars for both students and the general public, they will be appreciated by anyone desiring a reliable and informative tour of important subject matter. Each title offers an historical overview of a particular discipline, explains the central ideas of each subject, and evaluates the works of thinkers whose ideas have shaped our world. They will aid students seeking to make better decisions about their course of study as well as general readers who wish to supplement their education. All who treasure the world of ideas and liberal learning will be motivated by these original and stimulating