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One of the pillars of modern science, statistical mechanics, owes much to one man, the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906). As a result of his unusual working and writing styles, his enormous contribution remains little read and poorly understood. The purpose of this book is to make the Boltzmann corpus more accessible to physicists, philosophers, and historians, and so give it new life. The means are introductory biographical and historical materials, detailed and lucid summaries of every relevant publication, and a final chapter of critical synthesis.
Special attention is given to Boltzmann's theoretical tool-box and to his patient construction of lofty formal systems even before their full conceptual import could be known. This constructive tendency largely accounts for his lengthy style, for the abundance of new constructions, for the relative vagueness of their object--and for the puzzlement of commentators. This book will help the reader cross the stylistic barrier and see how ingeniously Boltzmann combined atoms, mechanics, and probability to invent new bridges between the micro- and macro-worlds.
List of contents
- PART A: Preliminaries
- 1: Life and work: A sketch
- 2: Theories of heat: Some background
- PART B: Exegesis
- 3: Constructing thermal equilibrium (1866-1871)
- 4: The Boltzmann equation and the H theorem (1872-1875)
- 5: The probabilistic turn (1876-1884)
- 6: The analogical turn (1884-1887)
- 7: Consolidation (1887-1895)
- 8: The critical turn (1895-1899)
- 9: Lectures on gas theory (1896-1898)
- PART C: Synthetic Reflections
- 10: Boltzmann's theory
About the author
Olivier Darrigol studied physics at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, the history and philosophy of physics at the Sorbonne and at UC-Berkeley's Office for History of Science and Technology (OHST). He is the author of several books on the history of quantum physics, electrodynamics, hydrodynamics, and optics. He is currently a member of the SPHere research team at CNRS/Paris 7, and a Research Associate at UC-Berkeley's OHST.
Summary
A study of Ludwig Boltzmann's oeuvre in early statistical mechanics. It is designed to reveal Boltzmann's true endeavors and to give new life to his various theoretical constructions. It offers introductory historical and biographical materials, detailed summaries and analyses of all the relevant texts.
Additional text
The text is well written, clear and supported by black-and-white figures and historical footnotes. This book can be fully recommended to anyone with some background in mathematics and physics who is interested in the course of the discussion that led to modern statistical mechanics. It is also a good read for those interested in Boltzmann as a scientist and those who have a more general interest in the science of the period.
Report
The text is well written, clear and supported by black-and-white figures and historical footnotes. This book can be fully recommended to anyone with some background in mathematics and physics who is interested in the course of the discussion that led to modern statistical mechanics. It is also a good read for those interested in Boltzmann as a scientist and those who have a more general interest in the science of the period. Manuel Vogel, Contemporary Physics
