 |
Required books |  |
Crowe, M. J., Mechanics of the Universe from Galileo to Einstein
(Notre Dame, Indiana: Poverty Publishing Co., 1997).
Crowe, M. J., Heat and Thermodynamics from Newton to the Kinetic
Theory (Notre Dame, Indiana: Poverty Publishing Co., 1998).
Crowe, M. J., Theories of Light from the Greeks to Young and Fresnel
(Notre Dame, Indiana: Poverty Publishing Co., 1998).
Duhem, Pierre, Aim and Structure of Physical Theory (Princeton:
Princeton Univ. Press, 1991).
Hankins, T. L., Science and the Enlightenment (Cambridge: Cambridge
Univ. Press, 1985).
Purrington, Robert D., Physics in the Nineteenth Century (New
Brunswick, N. J.: Rutgers Univ. Press, 1997).
Westfall, Richard, Life of Isaac Newton (Cambridge: Cambridge
Univ. Press, 1994).
Books on Reserve for All Parts of the Course:
Harman, Peter, Energy, Force and Matter (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982); a fine presentation of the history of physical science in the nineteenth century; good bibliography.
Magie, W. F. (ed.), Source Book in Physics (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1935).
Nye, Mary Jo, Before Big Science: The Pursuit of Modern Chemistry and Physics, 1800-1940 (New York: Twayne, 1997).
1. Introduction
Introductory lecture; bibliography for history of physical science; research paper.
Section 1: PHYSICAL SCIENCE FROM THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION TO 1800
Part One: Mechanics, Especially Newton
Materials on Reserve for Mechanics Section:
Cohen, I. Bernard, and Richard Westfall, Newton: A Norton
Critical Edition (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995).
Gjertsen, Derek, The Newton Handbook (London: Routledge and
Kegan Paul, 1986).
Hall, A. Rupert, Isaac Newton: Adventurer in Thought (Cambridge,
England: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1996).
Newton, Isaac, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.
Westfall, Richard, Life of Isaac Newton (Cambridge: Cambridge
Univ. Press, 1994).
2. Mechanics from Aristotle to Galileo.
Read: Crowe, Mechanics, preface and pp. 1-48.
3. Mechanics between Galileo and Newton.
Read: Crowe, Mechanics, pp. 49-59.
4. The Life of Isaac Newton. Read one of the following:
Cohen, I. Bernard, "Isaac Newton," Dictionary of Scientific Biography,
vol. X, pp. 42-103.
Hall, A. Rupert, Isaac Newton: Adventurer in Thought (Cambridge,
England: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1996).
Westfall, Richard S., Life of Isaac Newton (Cambridge, England:
Cambridge Univ. Press, 1993).
5. The Mechanics of Isaac Newton I.
Read: Crowe, Mechanics, pp. 60-90.
6. The Mechanics of Isaac Newton II.
Read: Crowe, Mechanics, pp. 91-116.
7. The Mechanics of Isaac Newton III.
Read: Crowe, Mechanics, pp. 116-139.
Part Two: Theories of Light
Materials on Reserve for Theories of Light Section:
Buchwald, Jed Z., The Rise of the Wave Theory of Light: Optical
Theory and Experiment in the Early Nineteenth Century (Chicago: Univ.
of Chicago Press, 1989).
Cantor, G. N., Optics after Newton: Theories of Light in Britain
and Ireland 1704-1840 (Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press, 1983).
Cohen, I. B., Isaac Newton's Papers and Letters on Natural Philosophy,
2nd ed. (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1978).
Newton, Isaac, Opticks (New York: Dover, 1952).
Sabra, A. I., Theories of Light from Descartes to Newton (London:
Oldbourne, 1967). This is an excellent study of the development of theories
of light in the seventeenth century, which places much emphasis on the
philosophical contexts in which each of the theories was developed and
discussed.
8. Theories of Light in the Period up to Newton and Huygens; Newton's
1672 Paper
Read: Crowe, Theories of Light, ch. 1, and ch. 2, pp. 1-17.
The materials on the rainbow in ch. 1 can be skimmed.
9. Christiaan Huygens: Wave Theorist?
Read: Crowe, Theories of Light, ch. 2, pp. 30-59.
10. Isaac Newton: Particle Theorist? Read:
Crowe, Theories of Light, ch. 2, pp. 17-29, 60-64, and
Isaac Newton, Opticks (on reserve): examine the Opticks
so as to get an idea of its structure. This can be done by reading the
definitions and axioms (pp. 1-20), but not his discussions of them, then
reading the propositions up to p. 277 (again without his discussion of
them), read 278-282, skim 317-338, then read Queries 1-29 with some
care.
11. Light in the Enlightenment; Young's Early Optical Investigations
Read: Crowe, Theories of Light, ch. 3 and ch. 4, pp. 1-25.
12. Thomas Young: Huygenian or Newtonian? Fresnel and the Establishment
of the Wave Theory of Light
Read: Crowe, Theories of Light, ch. 4, pp. 26-46.
Part Three: Physical Science in the Enlightenment
13. Character of the Enlightenment; Mathematics and the Exact Sciences
during the Enlightenment
Read: Hankins, Enlightenment, Preface and chs. 1-2 and pp. 191-196.
14. Experimental Physics and Chemistry during the Enlightenment
Read: Hankins, Enlightenment, chs. 3-4 and pp. and pp. 196-199.
Section 2: PHYSICAL SCIENCE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Part One: Introduction
15. Physical Science at the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
Read: Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, chs. 1
and 2.
Part Two: Electricity and Magnetism
16. Electricity and Magnetism.
Read: Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, ch. 3.
Recommended Reading: Corresponding sections in W. F. Magie (ed.), Source
Book in Physics.
Part Three: Atomic Theories
Materials on Reserve for the History of Atomic Theories:
Knight, David M., Atoms and Elements: A Study of Theories of Matter
in England in the Nineteenth Century (London: Hutchinson, 1967).
Mellor, D. P., The Evolution of Atomic Theory (Amsterdam: Elsevier,
1971).
Nash, Leonard K., The Atomic-Molecular Theory (Cambridge: Harvard
Univ. Press, 1950).
Nye, Mary Jo, "The Nineteenth Century Atomic Debates and the Dilemma
of an 'Indifferent Hypothesis'" in Studies in History and Philosophy
of Science, 7 (1976), 245-68.
17. Origins of Atomic Theory: Dalton
Read: Nash, Atomic-Molecular Theory, pp. 1-58 (on reserve).
18. Dalton and Doubts about Atomic Theory
Read: Nash, pp. 58-114 and
Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, ch. 6.
19. Atomism in the 1860s and Beyond
Read: Mellor, pp. 118-34 (on the periodic table),
Knight, pp. 105-26 (on the atomic debates),
and Nye's paper (all on reserve).
Part Four: Theories of Heat and Thermodynamics
Materials on Reserve for Heat and Thermodynamics Section:
Cardwell, D. S. L., From Watt to Clausius: The Rise of Thermodynamics
in the Early Industrial Age. An excellent, highly reliable book, rich
in information on the relation of heat theory and thermodynamics to history
of technology.
Carnot, Sadi, Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire.
Coley, Noel G. and Vance M. D. Hall (eds.), Darwin to Einstein:
Primary Sources on Science and Belief; see esp. pp. pp. 73-100.
Ferguson, E. S., "The Steam Engine before 1830" in M. Kranzberg and
C. Purcell (eds.), Technology in Western Civilization, vol. I, pp.
245-63.
Gower, Barry, "Speculation in Physics: The History and Practice of
Naturphilosophie," Studies in History and Philosophy of Science,
3 (1973), 301-56.
Kuhn, Thomas S., "Energy Conservation as an Example of Simultaneous
Discovery" in Marshall Clagett (ed.), Critical Problems in the History
of Science, pp. 321-56. This paper, which has formed the locus classicus
for much subsequent research in this area, should be read as soon as convenient.
It is also available in Thomas Kuhn, The Essential Tension.
Mott-Smith, Morton, The Concept of Energy Simply Explained.
This "popular level" book, first published in 1934 under the title
The
Story of Energy, provides a good introduction to thermodynamics and
includes substantial historical information. It cannot be relied upon for
historical detail. See esp. the first 160 pages.
Nye, Mary Jo, "The Nineteenth Century Atomic Debates and the Dilemma
of an Indifferent Hypothesis," Studies in History and Philosophy of
Science, 7 (1976), 245-68.
Talbot, G. R. and A. J. Pacey, "Some Early Kinetic Theories of Gases:
Herapath and His Predecessors," British Journal for the History of Science,
3 (1966), 133-49.
20. Introduction; The Role of Energy in History; Early Quantifications
of Heat; The Caloric Theory of Heat and Its Critics
Read: Crowe, History, chs. 1, 2, and 3.
Recommended Readings: W. F. Magie (ed.), Source Book in Physics,
pp. 128-33 (Amontons, and Fahrenheit) and 133-65 (Taylor, Black, Rumford,
and Davy).
21 Development of Water and Steam Power and the Industrial Revolution
Read:
1. Crowe, History, ch. 4 and
E. S. Ferguson, "The Steam Engine before 1830" in Melvin Kranzberg
and C. Purcell (eds.), Technology in Western Civilization, vol.
I, pp. 245-63 (on reserve).
2. Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, ch. 5.
22. Mechanical Background of Conservation of Energy; Naturphilosophie,
Physics of Gases; Radiant Heat; Wave Theory of Heat; Fourier
Read: Crowe, History, chs. 5, 6, and 7
Recommended Readings: W. F. Magie (ed.), Source Book in Physics,
pp. 50-60 (Descartes, Leibniz, D'Alembert, and Young).
Gower, Barry, "Speculation in Physics: The History and Practice of
Naturphilosophie," Studies in History and Philosophy of Science,
3 (1973), 301-56 (on reserve).
23. Carnot and the Carnot Cycle.
Read: Crowe, History, ch. 8, which includes a selection from
Carnot.
Recommended Reading: Sadi Carnot, Reflections on the Motive Power
of Fire.
24. Discovery of the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Read:
1. Crowe, History, ch. 9, which includes selections from Mayer,
Joule, Colding, and Mohr.
2. Kuhn, Thomas S., "Energy Conservation as an Example of Simultaneous
Discovery" (on reserve).
3. Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, ch. 6.
Recommended Reading: W. F. Magie (ed.), Source Book in Physics,
pp. 203-20 (Joule and Helmholtz).
25. Second Law of Thermodynamics; Kinetic Theory of Gases; Atomism Revisited
Read:
1. Crowe, History, ch. 10, which includes a selection from William
Thomson, and
Crowe, History, ch. 11.
2. W. F. Magie (ed.), Source Book in Physics, pp. 228-36 (Clausius).
3. Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, ch. 7.
Review: Mary Jo Nye, "The Nineteenth Century Atomic Debates and the
Dilemma of an Indifferent Hypothesis," Studies in History and Philosophy
of Science, 7 (1976), 245-68 (on reserve).
Recommended Reading: Noel G. Coley and Vance M. D. Hall (eds.), Darwin
to Einstein: Primary Sources on Science and Belief, pp. 66-8; 73-4;
84-125.
Part Five: Pierre Duhem; The End of the Century
26. Pierre Duhem and the History and Philosophy of Physics.
Read: Duhem, Aim and Structure, pp. 7-57.
27. Duhem (continued)
Read: Duhem, Aim and Structure, pp. 144-222, 268-70.
Recommended Reading: Remaining sections of Duhem, Aim and Structure,
including "The Physics of a Believer."
28. The End of the Century
Read: Purrington, Physics in the Nineteenth Century, chs. 8
and 9.
1. Research Paper: All graduate students are expected to complete a
research paper of approximately 15 pages in length on a topic agreed to
beforehand. Undergraduates are expected to prepare a shorter essay. In
writing these essay, avoid the mistakes noted in the style sheet distributed
in class. Please submit two copies of the paper, one of which will be returned
to you with commentary and grade.
2. Reports: Each student will be asked to make one or possibly two
reports in class. These will typically take the form of a summary of an
important published paper or chapter of a book. A copy of the report should
be distributed to each member of the class at the time that the report
is made.
Approximate Percertages for Grading: Research paper 40% Class participation and reports 20% Final Exam 40%
Final Exam: Friday, Dec. 18, 1998 from 10:30 to 12:30 The exam will very probably consist of three essay questions and 6 identifications.
