The Unification of Physics and Astronomy

物理学与天文学的统一

• 批准号: 9111532
• 负责人: Peter Barker
• 金额: $ 9.6万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1992
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1992-01-01 至 1994-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9111532&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Unification; Physics; Astronomy

"Unification" has been a paramount goal of science from its very beginnings. Thales proclaimed "All is water." Contemporary science continues this pursuit of unification. Maxwell, in the 19th century, unified the forces of electricity and magnetism and showed that light is but an electro-magnetic phenomenon. Einstein's final efforts were to find a grand unification theory of all forces. Indeed this effort continues in current physics as scientists try to complete the unification of the forces acting at the atomic level: the electro-magnetic, strong, weak and gravitational forces. While one can point to Thales and the other pre-Socratic philosophers as the first to attempt "unification" in science, the practical efforts at unification in science did not begin until the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th Centuries. This effort culminated in Newton's theory of universal gravitation uniting the force that governed the motion of celestial bodies with the force that makes heavy bodies fall on Earth. That Newton was successful in this effort was due, in large respect, to the work of Johannes Kepler in determining the laws by which planets circle the sun. Under this grant, Professors Peter Barker and Bernard Goldstein are examining Kepler's unification of astronomy and physics, and his contribution to the norms of modern science, in the context of 16th century work on astronomy and astrology, rhetoric, and religious thought. They are studying the availability and use of these disciplines in books, letters, notes, and student theses by Kepler and his contemporaries. This setting illuminates Kepler's presentation of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Brahe, and his innovations in the content and methods of science. They present the development of Kepler's ideas from the Mysterium Cosmographicum of 1596 through the Apologia pro Tychone contra Ursum of 1600 and the De Fundamentis Astrologiae Certioribus of 1602 to the Astronomia Nova of 1609. Their examination of the context of Kepler's work draws on the expertise of an international group of consultants. This study will be the first presentation of Kepler's unification of physics and astronomy in its 16th century context, treating the portion of his work from 1596 to 1609 as a whole. In addition to yielding new knowledge about a major figure and a key episode, the project's contextual approach will establish links from the history of science to wider fields of Renaissance and Reformation studies, especially history, philosophy, rhetoric and religious thought. This study of Kepler's role in the development of the modern scientific methodology will also contribute to our understanding of the historical process by which science differentiated itself from the humanities and theology.

“统一”从一开始就是科学的最高目标。泰勒斯宣称：“一切都是水。”当代科学继续着这种对统一的追求。麦克斯韦在19世纪统一了电力和磁力，并表明光只是一种电磁现象。爱因斯坦最后的努力是找到一个万有引力的大统一理论。事实上，这种努力在当今的物理学中仍在继续，因为科学家们试图完成在原子水平上作用的力的统一：电磁、强、弱和引力。虽然人们可以指出泰勒斯和其他前苏格拉底哲学家是第一个尝试科学“统一”的人，但科学统一的实际努力直到16世纪和17世纪的科学革命才开始。这一努力在牛顿的万有引力理论中达到了顶峰，万有引力将控制天体运动的力与使重物落到地球上的力统一起来。牛顿在这方面的成功，在很大程度上要归功于约翰内斯·开普勒的工作，他确定了行星绕太阳运行的规律。在这项资助下，彼得·巴克教授和伯纳德·戈德斯坦教授将在16世纪天文学、占星术、修辞学和宗教思想的背景下，研究开普勒对天文学和物理学的统一，以及他对现代科学规范的贡献。他们正在研究开普勒及其同时代人的书籍、信件、笔记和学生论文中这些学科的可用性和应用。这个背景说明了开普勒对托勒密、哥白尼和布拉赫的介绍，以及他在科学内容和方法上的创新。他们展示了开普勒思想的发展，从1596年的《宇宙的奥秘》，到1600年的《替第谷的contra Ursum》，再到1602年的《论星象的基础》，再到1609年的《新天文学》。他们对开普勒工作背景的考察借鉴了一个国际顾问小组的专业知识。这项研究将是开普勒在16世纪背景下统一物理学和天文学的第一次展示，将他从1596年到1609年的部分工作作为一个整体。除了提供关于重要人物和关键事件的新知识外，该项目的上下文方法将建立科学史与更广泛的文艺复兴和宗教改革研究领域的联系，特别是历史、哲学、修辞和宗教思想。对开普勒在现代科学方法论发展中的作用的研究，也将有助于我们理解科学区别于人文科学和神学的历史过程。