History of Physics and EPISTEMOLOGY

The course aims to provide the student with the basic elements to evaluate the historical and epistemological path of the Physics discipline and the methods used in scientific investigation with particular reference to the developments of the twentieth century.

Knowledge and understanding.

Mastery of the scientific method, and understanding of the nature and procedures of research in Physics.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

Ability to identify the essential elements of a scientific work distinguishing between empiricism and rationalism. Critical skills in historically determined approaches also in reference to the conceptual change from classical (Newtonian) physics to relativist and quantum mechanics.

Making judgments

Ability to argue on the interpretations of some fundamental physical phenomena in modern physics (Michelson and Morley experiment, quantization, etc.)

Communication skills.

Ability to communicate in Italian and English in the advanced sectors of the history of Physics.

Learning skills.

Ability to acquire adequate cognitive tools for the continuous updating of knowledge and to access specialized literature in the field of the history of physics

The teaching (6 CFU, second semester) will be carried out through lectures, also with the aid of slides and audio-visual tools. A critical reading of some selected scienti fi c passages relating to the program carried out may be added. 

If the teaching is given in a mixed or remote mode, the necessary changes with respect to what was previously stated may be introduced, in order to comply with the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.

Information for students with disabilities and/or DSA.

To guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with the laws in force, interested students can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and / or dispensatory measures, based on the didactic objectives and specific needs.

It is also possible to contact the referent teacher CINAP (Center for Active and Participated Integration - Services for Disabilities and / or DSA) of the Physics Department

Good knowledge of the essential elements of the scientific method based on the process of measuring a physical quantity.

Traces of Hellenistic Physics and Greek Atomism - The Forgotten Revolution: Origins of the Scientific Method - Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend: Epistemology of the Natural Sciences and Understanding the Structures and General Criteria of Scientificity - From Archimedes to Leonardo - Copernicus and Kepler - Galileo: The Birth of Modern Science - The Trial of Galileo: A Historical Quarrel Between Philosophy, Theology, and Science - Classical Mechanics - Newton: Alchemy, Universal Gravitation, Mechanism, and Determinism - From Faraday to Maxwell: Electromagnetism and Kinetic Theory - Heat Engines and the Industrial Revolution - Boltzmann: From Thermodynamics to Statistical Mechanics - Poincarè: From the Three-Body Problem to the Birth of Chaos Theory - Mental experiments and Real experiments in physics - Crisis of Classical Mechanics - Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity - Atomic Models - Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg: Birth and Developments of Quantum Mechanics - The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics - Enrico Fermi and the Via Panisperna Group - The Manhattan Project and the Birth of "Big Science" - Ettore Majorana: The Strange Story of a Misunderstood Genius - David Bohm and Realist Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics - From Chaos Theory to Complexity Science - Interdisciplinary Aspects of Physics - The Evolution of the Concept of the Void Between Physics and Epistemology.

General essays:

E.Bellone, "Storia della Fisica", Utet, 1990

L.Russo, "La rivoluzione dimenticata. Il pensiero scientifico greco e la scienza moderna", Universale Economica Feltrinelli 2013

R.Maiocchi, "Storia della scienza in Occidente", La Nuova Italia, 2000

J.L.Heilbron, "Alle origini della fisica moderna", Il Mulino, 1984 

P.Rossi, "La nascita della scienza moderna in Europa", Laterza, 1997

G.Gismondi, "Critica ed etica nella ricerca scientifica", Marietti, Torino 1978 

J.Jacobelli, "Scienza ed etica. Quali limiti?", Laterza Bari 1990

J.Ladyman, "Filosofia della scienza. Un'introduzione", Carocci editore, 2014  

Further readings:

T.S.Kuhn, "La rivoluzione copernicana", Einaudi, 2000

A.Pais, "Sottile è il Signore...", Bollati Boringhieri, 1986

W.Heinsenberg, "Fisica e filosofia", Mondadori, 1998

M.Planck, "La conoscenza del mondo fisico", Bollati Boringhieri, 1988.

C.Tarsitani, "Il dilemma onda-corpuscolo da Maxwell a Planck ed Einstein", Loescher, 1983

D.Bohm, B.J.Hiley, "The undivided: an ontological interpretation of quantum theory", London Routledge, 1993

J.Gleick, "Caos. La nascita di una nuova scienza", Rizzoli, 2018 

D.Schwartz, "Enrico Fermi. L'ultimo uomo che sapeva tutto", Ed.Solferino 2020 

E.Recami, "Il caso Majorana: lettere, testimonianze, documenti", Di Renzo, 1987 

A.Pluchino, "La firma della complessità. Una passeggiata al margine del caos", Malcor D'Edizione, 2015

M.Consoli, A.Pluchino, "Il vuoto. Un enigma tra fisica e metafisica", Aracne Ed., 2015

Stefano Ossicini: “L’Universo è fatto di storie non solo di atomi”, Edizioni Neri Pozza, Vicenza, 2012

Holton, Gerald. "Subelectrons, Presuppositions, and the Millikan-Ehrenhaft Dispute." Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences 9 (1978)

John Krige: “Distrust and Discovery: “The Case of the Heavy Bosons at CERN”, Isis, Sep., 2001, Vol. 92, No. 3 (Sep., 2001), pp. 517-540

Verification of learning is given to a final oral exam. Through questions relating to qualifying points of the various parts of the program, we tend to ascertain the overall level of knowledge acquired by the candidate, his ability to critically approach the topics studied and to correlate the various parts of the program. Students will be able to begin the exam with the presentation of a topic of their choice, then they will proceed with further questions on the rest of the program. It aims at evaluating the ability to understand historical relationships and mastering the ideas introduced.

Verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it.

What are the origins of the scientific method?

What are the main modern epistemological currents?

What is Galileo's role in the birth of modern science?

Origins and development of Newtonian mechanics

Crisis of classical mechanics and the theory of relativity

The origins of quantum mechanics

Are there alternative interpretations to the Copenhagen interpretation?

What is the difference between chaos and complexity?

Reductionism and Determinism in Physics

Role of scientific paradigms

What is the difference between real experiments and mental experiments?