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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 2; Original Published by: Printed for R. Phillips, by R. Taylor and co. in 1808 in 314 pages; Subjects: Science; Physics; Astronomy; Chemistry; Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Astronomy; Nature / Star Observation; Science / General; Science / Astronomy; Science / Chemistry / General; Science / Physics; ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Title: Answers to the Practical Questions and Problems Contained in the Fourteen Week Courses: in Physiology, Philosophy, Astronomy, and Chemistry (Old and New Edition)Publisher: New York and Chicago: A.S. Barnes ... Read more

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Of Minds and Molecules is the first anthology devoted exclusively to work in the philosophy of chemistry. The essays, written by both chemists and philosophers, adopt distinctive philosophical perspectives on chemistry and collectively offer both a conceptualization of and a justification for this emerging field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very interesting and useful book
Very interesting book. Useful for a teacher who wants to give more than all the established in a school program of chemistry. Actually, the philosophy of chemistry plays an important role not only for the study of chemistry in itself as an experimental science but also as an element of motivation for researching.

Of Minds and Molecules
Let me be the first to congratulate Nalini Bhushan and the late Stuart Rosenfeldon editing a new anthology just published by Oxford University Press and entitled Of Minds and Molecules.

They have assembled together a very interesting and diverse collection of articles on the subject of philosophy of chemistry.Their editorial introduction and introduction to the field is excellent as are many of the articles written by philosophers, chemists and educators.

At the end of the day you can have international conferences, web servers, new journals, internet journals and special issues but what really defines a field is still one slim monograph which collects together, in a coherent and inter-related fashion, all the modern themes being studied.

This is the book which will define the field.If you have even a passing interest in history and philosophy of chemistry you need to own this book. ... Read more

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This book uses history to introduce central issues in the philosophy ofchemistry. Mobilizing the theme of impurity, it explores the tradition ofchemistry s negative image. It then argues for the positive philosophicalvalue of chemistry, reflecting its characteristic practical engagement withthe material world. The book concludes with some ethical reflectionsconcerning chemistry s orientations in the twenty-first century.

Contents: Introduction: Chemistry and its Discontents; Chemistry andPollution; The Damnation of the Alchemist; The Space of the Laboratory; Proofin the Laboratory; Chemistry Creates Its Object; A Duel between TwoConceptions of Matter; Chemistry versus Physics; Atoms or Elements; Positivismand Chemistry; Atoms as Fictions; Agency and Relations; Taming the Nanoworld;Towards a Responsible Chemistry. ... Read more

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This is an exploratory critical essay on the Origins ofCapital and the Foundations of Thermodynamics. In economicsthe existence of capital is taken for granted yet it is difficult toestablish for it a robust definition. Capital theory addresses thecoupling of the present with the future; as such it does not deal withits own history, evolution or its origins. The concern is the(discounted) future rather than the historical or even prehistoricalpast; at best, Hesiod's economy in his Works and Days marks thebeginning of economic history. Yet, in its generic form, capital isbut a physical or biological engine that processes materials andtransforms energy in an environment of thermal non-equilibrium. Theobjective is to show the importance of capital in the comprehension ofthermodynamics. I argue that the idea of scarcity as the fountain ofhistory and its concomitant concept of value must beincorporated in the substance of thermodynamics and the meaning ofmeasurement; this necessitates some excursions into the territory ofeconomics with a review of capital theory, of evoluationary biologyand the origins of life, and of the received ideas on thermodynamics.To discuss measurement - a long-standing quandary and thequintessential quantum problem - for lack of a better approacha formal hybrid pragmatist's outlook is retained in the form ofvirtual Cartesian dualism.
Audience: This work will be of interest to historians andphilosophers of science and economics, and engineeringthermodynamicists. ... Read more

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With contributions by many of today's leading quantum physicists, philosophers and historians, including three Nobel laureates, this comprehensive A to Z of quantum physics provides a lucid understanding of the key concepts of quantum theory and experiment. It covers technical and interpretational aspects alike, and includes both traditional topics and newer areas such as quantum information and its relatives. The central concepts that have shaped contemporary understanding of the quantum world are clearly defined, with illustrations where helpful, and discussed at a level suitable for undergraduate and graduate students of physics, history of science, and philosophy of physics. All articles share three main aims: (1) to provide a clear definition and understanding of the term concerned; (2) where possible, to trace the historical origins of the concept; and (3) to provide a small but optimal selection of references to the most relevant literature, including pertinent historical studies. Also discussed are the often contentious philosophical implications derived from quantum theory and its associated experimental findings.

This compendium will be an indispensable resource for all those seeking concise up-to-date information about the many facets of quantum physics.

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Much of Duhem's work as a professional scientist was closely related to the newly emerging discipline of physical chemistry. The book and associated papers translated here revolve around his concomitant philosophical and historical interests in chemistry-topics largely uncovered by Duhem's writings hitherto available in English. He understood contemporary concerns of chemists to be a development of the ancient dispute over the nature of mixture. Having developed his historical account from distinctions drawn from the atomists and Aristotelians of antiquity, he places his own views of chemical combination squarely within the Aristotelian tradition. Apart from illuminating Duhem's own work, it is of interest to see how the ancient dispute can be related to modern science by someone competent to make such comparisons. The book is lucid and logically stringent without assuming any particular mathematical prerequisites, and provides a masterly statement of an important line of nineteenth century thought which is of interest in its own right as well as providing insight into Duhem's broader philosophical views.

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Why is quantum theory so difficult to understand?In this book, written for both undergraduate and graduate students of chemistry and physics, the author looks at the continuing debate about the meaning of quantum theory.The historical development of the theory is traced from the turn of the century through to the 1930s, and the famous debate between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein.The book examines in detail the arguments that quantum theory is incomplete, as made by Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen; the development of Bell's theorem; and crucial experimental tests performed in the early 1980s.Alternative interpretations -- pilot waves, quantum gravity, consciousness, and many worlds -- are described in the closing chapter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

A good review of the mysteries of Quantum Physics
Jim Baggot's ' The Meaning of Quantum Theory' is an excellent book and this reviewer is happy to recommend it to anyone trying the understand what quantum physics is all about. Of course,in the process he makes it clear that a full understanding is not yet available.


Although it is not a large book, it is reasonably comprehensive in it's coverage of the topic, where it gives the reader a good outline of the mysteries of quantum world. It is not a popular science book. The author does not shirk from including essential mathematics. It is as the expanded title says: 'A Guide for Students of Chemistry and Physics', and of course those with a scientific backround who are interested in the topic.

The mathematics is, though, mainly confined to one chapter. Overall, the book explains the mysteries of the quantum world in a clear and precise manner (insofar as they can be explained). This reviewer is, however, not impressed with the 'Many Worlds' interpretation but I suppose it has to be covered and it is dealt with towards the end of the book.


Whether, as indicated by the title of the book: ' The Meaning of Quantum Theory', Quantum Physics has meaning is a debatable point, which is more in the region of philosophy rather than science. It could encourage those who try to connect Quantum Physics to Eastern mysticism to come up with their 'ideas' as to what it is all about. Rather, the book's third chapter: ' Quantum Theory: What Does it Mean' has a different connoctation and is what has occupied a lot of minds over the years. Again, the book's closing chapter entitled 'The hand of God' might also have been better left to a book on philosophy rather than a book on Quantum Physics which is supposed to be aimed at students of Physics and Chemistry.

These, though, are minor criticisms which do not really detract from the book's overall merit.

Schrodingers Cat in Graduate School
This book covers pretty much the same ground as Gribbins "In Search of Schrodingers Cat", but does so in a more mathematical manner.The math is not overly complex, it does not go beyond algebra, but does use very complicated notation systems (including Dirac's bracket notation).The reader should be familiar with the concept of an operator and not be frightened by the sight of partial differential equations, although none are actually solved.The book is aimed at students of Chemistry and Physics, but it is not a textbook per se, but rather an adjunct to a quantum theory text.This book is about the meaning of quantum theory, rather than about solving specific quantum problems.It focuses on the implications of the various interpretations of quantum theory.It not only goes into the standard Copenhagen interpretation (developed by Niels Bohr and colleagues) and the objections to it raised by Einstein and others, but also goes into several other interpretations, such as Einstein's hidden variable idea, DeBroglie's pilot waves and Bohm's quantum potentials.Baggott not only develops these other ideas, but also shows where many have been abandoned by their developers or proved to be inconsistent with quantum theory and experimental data.

By using some math the book Baggott is able to derive the Schridinger wave equation is a very simple manner.This derivation comes from Schrodingers own notebooks and is much simpler than the more sophisticated one that Schrodinger used in his paper describing the wave equation.Baggott also shows where the uncertainty principle comes from and why it is inherent in the mathematics of wave and matrix mechanics because it is a feature of all non-commuting operators.In my opinion the derivation of the wave equation and this analysis of the uncertainty principle are alone worth the price of the book.
Baggott also goes into the EPR thought experiment, derives Bell's inequality and describes in some detail the various tests for the EPR experiment and Bell's inequality.Much of this material is also included in "In Search of Schrodingers Cat", but because no math is included, Gribbin's discussion is not as detailed or complete as Baggott's.(This is not a criticism of Gribbin's book, as it is aimed at a more general audience.)

Baggott's book a great choice for someone studying quantum mechanics, but is probably beyond those with an insufficient background in mathematics.I recommend Gribbins "In Search of Schrodingers Cat" (see my review of this book for more details on it) for those who want a non-mathematical treatment of this subject.

Bridging Descriptions and the Mathematics
Succinctly: if you want more than descriptive science popularizations and are ready to tackle the math then this is, quite simply, the best book there is.Jim Baggott introduces the notation and the concepts in an engaging and untiring style and after a careful reading (or three) one is ready to read the original papers.Cannot recommend highly enough.

Author unqualified by own admission, obviously confused
The author begins telling us why he wrote it and asking why we should read it. Good question, and the answer is that we shouldn't, and he shouldn't have either.

Oh sure, Jim Baggott has got his equations down pat, but alas, from the opening page he gets hopelessly lost in matters he clearly doesn't understand. Get a clue, Jim;Schrodinger's Cat was a REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM, a "jumping out of the box" so to speak, showing that the word "consciousness" does not belong in a discussion of quantum theory, unless perhaps in a chapter on the the early history of this subject when everyon was confused.Even Von Neumann went out on some pretty wild limbs when this whole flap started, though he certainly came off of them before his famous axiomatization of quantum mechanics. Furthermore, in case you missed his sequels, he would later advance the concept of "strong" artificial intelligence, which minimally agrees with modern cognitive science that consciousness is a high order function in which the quantum scale of things appears to be utterly irrelevant (and visa versa.)

How about this for a metaphor? This book is much like an otherwise excellent "biology in a nutshell" chapbook, but one which also has a few sprinklings and maybe a chapter or two on scientific creationism and intelligent design, delusions which clearly have no place in modern science.

Such is it with "quantum quackery," the notion that uncertainty gives us carte blanche to impose our metaphysical fantasies on the univerese.Intermixed with genuine erudition, to be sure, this book provides a basic groundwork for all the pseudoscience and mysticism that are the current rage in new age circles.Sadly, the author has done such a fine job with those components of quantum theory thathe actually does understand, that this seems to legitimize the rubbish with which he has filled his knowledge gaps.

In short, this book flirts with the notion of being intellectually dangerous.I'm apalled that Oxford would publish such drivel.Whatever happened to peer review?

Great intro to the quantum, from Author of Quantum Mechanics Demystified
This was the first book I ever read about quantum theory-and I found it utterly fascinating. The book is written with a great style-its like he communicates a sense of urgency in the scientific exploration that led to the development of quantum mechanics. He begins with a very well written historical intro that covers Planck's blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect etc. In the second chapter Baggot takes a surprising turn and lays out some of the mathematical tools of quantum mechanics but in a very basic way. From here he goes into the Bohr-Einstein debates of the 20s and 30s. This part was absolutely fascinating, if you haven't read about this before you'll be blown away by the amazing intellectual challenge fought between these two geniuses. The rest of the book is devoted to the fascinating topic of Bell's theorem, entanglement and hidden variables. The book absolutely blew me away because at the time I didn't know anything about quantum mechanics. If a small bit of math doesn't put you off, I highly recommend the book. If you're a physics, math or engineering student I definitely recommend it. ... Read more

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This book describes the main methods of one- and two-dimensional high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in liquids within the quantum-mechanical formalism of the density matrix.In view of the increasing importance of NMR in chemistry and biochemistry, the work is particularly addressed to those scientists who do not have a working knowledge of quantum calculations.This knowledge is provided in the first part of the book through a description of quantum mechanics as applied to spin systems. This section is self-contained and limited to essentials. A final chapter is devoted to the principles of relaxation theory.By providing readers with practice in the theoretical tools of NMR, this book opens the way for a critical analysis of comprehensive treatises or articles on new methods.The emphasis throughout is on the actual use of NMR, so the text is neither oversimplified nor overly theoretical.The aim is to describe the basic theoretical tools needed to understand and fully exploit the valuable potential of high-resolution NMR. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you're serious about quantum mechanics and NMR start here
Dr. Goldman's treatise is the text for rigously applying quantum mechanics to the description of NMR spectroscopy. The author begins with a short review of the classical description of NMR and then proceeds to lay out the quantum formalism to be used in later chapters.Spin mechanics and operators are discussed in some depth before preceeding to a review of quantum statistical mechanics.The first 4 chapters provide the tools for chapter 5, the quantum description of NMR, and beyond. Once upon firm quantum soil, several applications are discussed including J spectroscopy, shift correlation, intra-molecular multi-quantum coherences, and relaxation theory. The meat of these 4 chapters makes heavy use of the machinery presented in the initial 5 chapters.I recommend this book to physicists or physical chemists looking for deeper understanding of the quantal nature of NMR spectroscopy.Given the recent developments in multiquantum coherence spectroscopy the importance of the material in this book cannot be overstated. ... Read more

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This book provides novel insights into the practices ofrepresenting invisible objects in nineteenth-century andtwentieth-century laboratory sciences. It tackles questions such as:How did scientific practitioners make sense of mathematicalrepresentations of theoretical entities, and did their understandingdepend on transformations of mathematical sign systems into diagrams,graphs or other iconic modes of representation? Are modes ofrepresentation conceptually essential or merely decorative features ofscientific discourse? Why did experimental scientists implementtheoretically loaded sign systems, such as chemical formulas, in theirpractical activities, and what were the functions of such sign systemsin experimental practice?
The essays contained in this volume carefully follow the wayscientists constructed, juxtaposed and transformed representations ofinvisible objects of inquiry, and explore the pragmatic use ofrepresentations as tools in scientific and industrial practices.Historians and philosophers of science, but also experimentalscientists interested in the epistemological, semiotic and historicalissues of their discipline, will find theoretical propositions aboutrepresentations as well as a multifaceted portrayal of scientists'constructions and applications of representations - be they thestructural formula of a dye, the three-dimensional model of a protein,a table conveying relationships between chemical elements, a diagramdepicting the functional relationships of the genetic apparatus, or alengthy text dealing with the molecular level of objects. ... Read more

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The essays collected in this volume include studies of the history of the word scientist and the origin of the terms of electrochemistry as developed by Faraday, with the aid of the scholars Whewell and Whitlock Nicholl. In this bicentennial year of the birth of Faraday, the topic of his discovery of electromagnetic induction is timely, as described here in the story of the ten-year search that preceded it. Faraday enters also as the major proponent of the chemical theory of the voltaic cell, in opposition to Volta's contact theory. There is also an essay on Sir John Herschel's discovery of hypo and its application to photography. The book covers the formative period of science as a profession in England and introduces some figures of the transition to professionalism, as exemplified by Davy, Herschel, Faraday, Talbot, Whewell, and others, in terms of their work and their attitude toward it. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London, Ward, LockSubjects: Scientific recreationsNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more