Physics and necessity : rationalist pursuits from the Cartesian past to the quantum present / Olivier Darrigol.

Physics & necessity

Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2014.

xiv, 400 pages : black and white illustrations ; 25 cm

First edition.

1. Rationalism in the history of mechanics. Descartes versus Newton -- Before Newton -- After Newton -- Conclusions -- 2. The necessity of classical mechanics. Connected systems -- Molecular mechanics -- Continuum mechanics -- Collisions -- Conclusions -- 3. From mechanical reduction to general principles. Varieties of mechanical reduction -- The energy principle -- The principle of least action -- Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics -- Conclusions -- 4. Geometry. From Euclid to Helmholtz -- Improved foundations -- Conventions and necessities -- Conclusions -- 5. Spacetime. From time to spacetime -- Rational spacetime -- The Helmholtzian approach, with morals -- Conclusions -- 6. Numbers and math. From Descartes to the nineteenth century -- A historical sketch of quantity -- Helmholtz's Counting and measuring -- Poincaré on number and quantity -- Conclusions --

7. Classical field theories. Landau, Faraday, and Maxwell -- Toward a definition of Faradayan theories -- The vector, tensor, and scalar cases -- Energy-momentum considerations -- The super-Faradayan approach -- Conclusions -- 8. Quantum mechanics. Historical necessity -- The deformation of classical mechanics -- Quantum logic -- Discreteness, probabilities, and information -- Conclusions -- 9. Necessity, theories, and modules. The preconditions of necessity -- Theories and modules -- The necessity of modularity -- Conclusion : the possibility of necessity.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 371-390) and index.