A History of the Ideas of Theoretical Physics

"This book focuses on the physicist's conceptions of the methods and nature of science, and how innovative concepts contributed to important achievements in theoretical physics. At dissent with the historiography of linear development of scientific ideas, this work underlines the fact that, in the passage from 19th century electrodynamics to theoretical physics, the process of mathematization varied remarkably, ranging from Ampere's and Weber's algebraization to Maxwell's attention to mathematical analogies and dimensional analysis, not to mention Einstein's non-Euclidian approach to general relativity and the via-operators formulation of quantum theory. Herein is described how, in the same period of time, physicists modified their ideas on the theory-experiment relationship as shown, for example, by Hertz's theoretical holism, and by Boltzmann's discredit of crucial experiments. It also includes a large number of not easily available quotations from primary sources in history of physics and references to the recent secondary literature." "This book will prove a useful addition to the culture of modern scientists and philosophers, and it can be influential in orienting teachers towards new approaches to teaching physics at undergraduate and graduate levels."--Jacket.