The Solvay Conferences on Physics Aspects of the Development of Physics Since 1911

Jagdish Mehra's historical account of the Solvay Conferences from 1911 to 1973 demonstrates not only the great influence which these conferences have had on the development of modern physics, but it also shows clearly how far-sighted and well­ planned were the intentions of Ernest Solvay when h...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mehra, Jagdish
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 1975, 1975
Edition:1st ed. 1975
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Springer Book Archives -2004 - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
LEADER 03102nmm a2200265 u 4500
001 EB000715322
003 EBX01000000000000000568404
005 00000000000000.0
007 cr|||||||||||||||||||||
008 140122 ||| eng
020 |a 9789401018678 
100 1 |a Mehra, Jagdish 
245 0 0 |a The Solvay Conferences on Physics  |h Elektronische Ressource  |b Aspects of the Development of Physics Since 1911  |c by Jagdish Mehra 
250 |a 1st ed. 1975 
260 |a Dordrecht  |b Springer Netherlands  |c 1975, 1975 
300 |a XXXIV, 416 p  |b online resource 
505 0 |a 1 Ernest Solvay and the Origin of Solvay Conferences on Physics -- 2 Radiation Theory and the Quanta -- 3 The Structure of Matter -- 4 Atoms and Electrons -- 5 The Electrical Conductivity of Metals -- 6 Electrons and Photons -- 7 Magnetism -- 8 The Structure and Properties of Atomic Nuclei -- 9 Towards the Spectrum of Elementary Particles and the Hierarchy of Interactions -- 10 The Elementary Particles -- 11 Quantum Field Theory -- 12 Fundamental Problems in Elementary Particle Physics -- 13 Symmetry Properties of Nuclei -- 14 Solid State Physics -- 15 Astrophysics, Gravitation, and the Structure of the Universe -- Index of Names 
653 |a Physics / Philosophy 
653 |a Philosophical Foundations of Physics and Astronomy 
041 0 7 |a eng  |2 ISO 639-2 
989 |b SBA  |a Springer Book Archives -2004 
028 5 0 |a 10.1007/978-94-010-1867-8 
856 4 0 |u https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1867-8?nosfx=y  |x Verlag  |3 Volltext 
082 0 |a 501 
520 |a Jagdish Mehra's historical account of the Solvay Conferences from 1911 to 1973 demonstrates not only the great influence which these conferences have had on the development of modern physics, but it also shows clearly how far-sighted and well­ planned were the intentions of Ernest Solvay when he took the initiative for organizing a new type of international conferences. In contrast to the conventional meetings in which reports are given on the successful solution of scientific problems, the Solvay Conferences were conceived to help directly in solving specific problems of unusual difficulty. The importance of the quantum structure of Nature had become well under­ stood already by 1911, but at that time there was no hope for an answer to the ex­ tremely difficult new questions posed by the atomic phenomena. The new conferences should therefore be devoted primarily to thorough discussions of such problems be­ tween a small number of the most competent physicists, and Ernest Solvay was guided by the hope that the discussions would eventually lead to a real and substantial progress. The earliest Solvay Conferences which I attended were those of 1927, 1930 and 1933, and they served this purpose extremely well. In 1926 the mathematical formalism of quantum-and wave-mechanics approached its final shape, but the interpretation was still controversial. Schrodinger hoped that his matter waves could be considered as waves in three-dimensional space and time, and that the discontinuous feature of quantum 'jumps' could be avoided thereby