In this Book
- Concepts of Simultaneity: From Antiquity to Einstein and Beyond
- Book
- 2006
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
Max Jammer's Concepts of Simultaneity presents a comprehensive, accessible account of the historical development of an important and controversial concept—which played a critical role in initiating modern theoretical physics—from the days of Egyptian hieroglyphs through to Einstein's work in 1905, and beyond. Beginning with the use of the concept of simultaneity in ancient Egypt and in the Bible, the study discusses its role in Greek and medieval philosophy as well as its significance in Newtonian physics and in the ideas of Leibniz, Kant, and other classical philosophers. The central theme of Jammer's presentation is a critical analysis of the use of this concept by philosophers of science, like Poincaré, and its significant role in inaugurating modern theoretical physics in Einstein's special theory of relativity. Particular attention is paid to the philosophical problem of whether the notion of distant simultaneity presents a factual reality or only a hypothetical convention. The study concludes with an analysis of simultaneity's importance in general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Table of Contents
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- Introduction
- pp. 1-7
- 1 Terminological Preliminaries
- pp. 8-15
- 9 The Conventionality Thesis
- pp. 171-191
- 11 Symmetry and Transitivity of Simultaneity
- pp. 201-219
- 13 Clock Transport Synchrony
- pp. 240-250
Additional Information
ISBN
9780801889530
Related ISBN(s)
9780801884221
MARC Record
OCLC
213306047
Pages
320
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No