Subject: Re: CCL:History question

From: elewars <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 19:22:40 -0400

2002 Aug 25

Hello,

That is an interesting question, because the exact source of the assertion never
seems to be given. I can only suggest you try to track it down using:

T. S. Kuhn, "Black-Body Radiation and the Quantum Discontinuity 1894-1912", U.
of Chicago Press, 1978.
(Kuhn became controversial for his idea idea of paradigm (a trendy word he
popularized) shifts, in his "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions")

J. Mehra and H. Rechenberg, "The Historical development of  Quantum Theory",
Vols. 1 and 2. Springer- Verlag, New York, 1982.
(Possibly the definitive work on the history of QM).

E. Segre, "From X-Rays to Quarks" Freeman, New York, 1980.
A history of modern physics by the 1959 physics Nobel cowinner.

B. Bederson, "More Things in Heaven and Earth: a Celebration of Physics at the
Millenium", Springer- Verlag, New York, 1999.

Useful may be the extensive references in the remarkable novel "Night Thoughts
of a Classical Physicist",  by Russell McCormmach, Harvard U Press, 1982.

As far as an actual quotation goes: "By the beginning of the twentieth century,
most scientists felt satisfied that all their important problems were more or
less solved. ... it seemed that all that was needed was to fill in a few
details. How wrong they were."  From "To light such a candle", Oxford U Press,
1998, p. 290; by the Canadian physical chemist and historian Keith Laidler.

E. Lewars
=======================

Jens Spanget-Larsen wrote:

> Dear CCL,
>
> we are occasionally told that towards the end of the 19th century,
> some scientists (physicists?) tended to believe that after Newton's
> Mechanics and Maxwell's Equations all fundamental discoveries in
> physics were made and that future work would only deal with details.
> They even discouraged young people to enter the field! But then, of
> course, came the turn of the century with, in 1895-1905, X-rays,
> Zeeman effect, radioactivity, the electron, quantum theory, and
> theory of relativity.
>
> I would be grateful for information on literature that documents this
> story. Any quotations?
>
> Yours, Jens >--<
>
> NB! Please note new mail address: <[email-masked]>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> JENS SPANGET-LARSEN         Office:         +45 4674 2710
> Department of Chemistry     Fax:            +45 4674 3011
> Roskilde University (RUC)   Mobile:         +45 2320 6246
> P.O.Box 260                 E-Mail:        [email-masked]
> DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark   http://virgil.ruc.dk/~spanget
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
> -= This is automatically added to each message by mailing script =-
> [email-masked] -- To Everybody  | [email-masked] -- To Admins
> Ftp: ftp.ccl.net  |  WWW: http://www.ccl.net/chemistry/   | Jan: [email-masked]