Cosmology And Controversy

Author : Helge Kragh
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 515 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2021-03-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691227719

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Cosmology and Controversy by Helge Kragh Pdf

For over three millennia, most people could understand the universe only in terms of myth, religion, and philosophy. Between 1920 and 1970, cosmology transformed into a branch of physics. With this remarkably rapid change came a theory that would finally lend empirical support to many long-held beliefs about the origins and development of the entire universe: the theory of the big bang. In this book, Helge Kragh presents the development of scientific cosmology for the first time as a historical event, one that embroiled many famous scientists in a controversy over the very notion of an evolving universe with a beginning in time. In rich detail he examines how the big-bang theory drew inspiration from and eventually triumphed over rival views, mainly the steady-state theory and its concept of a stationary universe of infinite age. In the 1920s, Alexander Friedmann and Georges Lemaître showed that Einstein's general relativity equations possessed solutions for a universe expanding in time. Kragh follows the story from here, showing how the big-bang theory evolved, from Edwin Hubble's observation that most galaxies are receding from us, to the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Sir Fred Hoyle proposed instead the steady-state theory, a model of dynamic equilibrium involving the continuous creation of matter throughout the universe. Although today it is generally accepted that the universe started some ten billion years ago in a big bang, many readers may not fully realize that this standard view owed much of its formation to the steady-state theory. By exploring the similarities and tensions between the theories, Kragh provides the reader with indispensable background for understanding much of today's commentary about our universe.

Author : Helge Kragh
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 285 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199209163

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Conceptions of Cosmos by Helge Kragh Pdf

This book is a historical account of how natural philosophers and scientists have endeavoured to understand the universe at large, first in a mythical and later in a scientific context. Starting with the creation stories of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the book covers all the major events in theoretical and observational cosmology, from Aristotle's cosmos over the Copernican revolution to the discovery of the accelerating universe in the late 1990s. It presents cosmology as asubject including scientific as well as non-scientific dimensions, and tells the story of how it developed into a true science of the heavens. Contrary to most other books in the history of cosmology, it offers an integrated account of the development with emphasis on the modern Einsteinian andpost-Einsteinian period. Starting in the pre-literary era, it carries the story onwards to the early years of the 21st century.

Author : Craig Sean McConnell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Electronic
ISBN : WISC:89075854802

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The Big Bang-steady State Controversy by Craig Sean McConnell Pdf

Author : F. Hoyle,G. Burbidge,J. V. Narlikar
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 382 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2000-02-17
Category : Science
ISBN : 0521662230

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A Different Approach to Cosmology by F. Hoyle,G. Burbidge,J. V. Narlikar Pdf

This is a different kind of book about cosmology, a field of major interest to professional astronomers, physicists, and the general public. All research in cosmology adopts one model of the universe, the hot big bang model. But Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Burbidge and Jayant Narlikar take a different approach. Starting with the beginnings of modern cosmology, they then conduct a wide ranging and deep review of the observations made from 1945 to the present day. Here they challenge many conventional interpretations. The latter part of the book presents the authors' own account of the present status of observations and how they should be explained. The controversial theme is that the dependency on the hot big bang model has led to an unwarranted rejection of alternative cosmological models. Writing from the heart, with passion and punch, these three cosmologists make a powerful case for viewing the universe in a different light.

Author : Pierre Kerszberg
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 1989
Category : Science
ISBN : UOM:39015015453569

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The Invented Universe by Pierre Kerszberg Pdf

This new volume will give readers a complete history of the development of relativistic cosmology in the first half of the twentieth century. It traces the beginnings of the theory in 1917 with Einstein's first static model of the universe based on general relativity, and follows his conversion to the new cosmology after a series of controversial meetings with Dutch astronomer Willem De Sitter. The impact of these discussions on Eddington and Weyl, who later formulated the most fundamental principle of cosmology is examined, while the works of Friedmann and Lemaître, pioneers of the expanding universe theory, are covered in-depth. This valuable history will also provide insights on how and why the relativistic way of thinking contributes to some of the most enduring philosophical issues of our time.

Author : George B. Field,Halton C. Arp,John N. Bahcall
Publisher : Addison Wesley Longman
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 1973
Category : Red shift
ISBN : UCAL:B4264181

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The Redshift Controversy by George B. Field,Halton C. Arp,John N. Bahcall Pdf

Author : B. Bertotti
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 460 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 1990-10-25
Category : Science
ISBN : 0521372135

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Modern Cosmology in Retrospect by B. Bertotti Pdf

Modern cosmology aims to determine the origin, evolution, and ultimate fate of the Universe. This is an area of modern science that has engendered fierce debates which have captured public interest. This book recounts the development of modern cosmology, in chapters contributed by many of the leading protagonists. It is a fascinating account of physical and observational cosmology, the great cosmological debates, important observations and the riddle of dark matter. The enormous controversy surrounding the Big Bang theory is retold in personal recollections from H. Bondi, W. McCrea, and Fred Hoyle. This is followed by chapters on the discovery of cosmic radio waves and the contributions made by radio astronomers to current cosmology. The book concludes with a tribute to some of the pioneers of cosmology.

Author : Helge Kragh
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2011-01-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191003349

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Higher Speculations by Helge Kragh Pdf

Throughout history, people have tried to construct 'theories of everything': highly ambitious attempts to understand nature in its totality. This account presents these theories in their historical contexts, from little-known hypotheses from the past to modern developments such as the theory of superstrings, the anthropic principle, and ideas of many universes, and uses them to problematize the limits of scientific knowledge. Do claims to theories of everything belong to science at all? Which are the epistemic standards on which an alleged scientific theory of the universe - or the multiverse - is to be judged? Such questions are currently being discussed by physicists and cosmologists, but rarely within a historical perspective. This book argues that these questions have a history and that knowledge of the historical development of 'higher speculations' may inform and qualify the current debate on the nature and limits of scientific explanation.

Author : Slobodan Perovic,Milan M. Cirkovic
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2024-06-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781108844604

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The Cosmic Microwave Background by Slobodan Perovic,Milan M. Cirkovic Pdf

Explanations of the cosmic microwave background prompt this unique case study of theory building in modern science.

Author : Helge Kragh
Publisher : Imperial College Press
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Science
ISBN : 186094485X

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Matter and Spirit in the Universe by Helge Kragh Pdf

Cosmology is an unusual science with an unusual history. This book examines the formative years of modern cosmology from the perspective of its interaction with religious thought. As the first study of its kind, it reveals how closely associated the development of cosmology has been with considerations of a philosophical and religious nature. From nineteenth-century thermodynamics to the pioneering cosmological works of Georges LemaŒtre and Arthur E Milne, religion has shaped parts of modern cosmological theory. By taking the religious component seriously, a new and richer history of cosmology emerges.

Author : Bernard Lovell
Publisher : iUniverse
Page : 222 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 1981
Category : Cosmology
ISBN : 9781583481134

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Emerging Cosmology by Bernard Lovell Pdf

Cosmology—the science that aims at a comprehensive theory of creation, evolution, and present structure of the entire physical universe—is the subject of this compelling book by one of the world’s preeminent astronomers. Written especially for the general reader, Emerging Cosmology traces the history of what is perhaps the first science from the earliest surviving evidence of cosmological thought, circa 3,000 B.C.E., to the present. Robert Jastrow calls Emerging Cosmology "an eminently readable and absorbing account of the greatest revolution in human thought since the dawn of time—growing awareness that space is vast and the world of man is small. Lovell tells the story with a rare grace and insight that reveal the touch of a master on science for the layman."

Author : Barry R. PARKER
Publisher : Springer
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 1993-03-21
Category : Science
ISBN : UVA:X002450811

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The Vindication of the Big Bang by Barry R. PARKER Pdf

Written for the layperson, this readable account of the big bang theory explains complex topics of astrophysics and cosmology in plain terms without mathematics. The author discusses the discovery of the expansion of the universe, successes of the big bang model, discovery of cosmic background radiation, singularities, the redshift controversy, and plasma cosmology. Black and white photos included. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Author : Adrian J. Adams Esq
Publisher : WestBow Press
Page : 168 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2024-05-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9798385023110

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Which god is God? by Adrian J. Adams Esq Pdf

Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the New Age Movement have radically different views of God and the hereafter. This book presents a concise summary of each religion’s core beliefs and, using the rules of evidence, establishes which religious claims are credible. It answers questions such as: Is God real or an illusion? Are there many gods or just one? Are we subject to reincarnation and karmic retribution? Can we communicate with spirit guides in other dimensions? In Which god Is God?, Adrian Adams provides an easy to understand guide for those who want to know if God exists and how to separate truth from speculation about our souls and eternity.

Author : Helge Kragh,Malcolm Longair
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 560 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2019-03-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780192549976

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The Oxford Handbook of the History of Modern Cosmology by Helge Kragh,Malcolm Longair Pdf

Scientific and popular literature on modern cosmology is very extensive; however, scholarly works on the historical development of cosmology are few and scattered. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Modern Cosmology offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of cosmology from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. It provides historical background to what we know about the universe today, including not only the successes but also the many false starts. Big Bang theory features prominently, but so does the defunct steady state theory. The book starts with a chapter on the pre-Einstein period (1860-1910) and ends with chapters on modern developments such as inflation, dark energy and multiverse hypotheses. The chapters are organized chronologically, with some focusing on theory and others more on observations and technological advances. A few of the chapters discuss more general ideas, relating to larger contexts such as politics, economy, philosophy and world views.

Author : John Farrell
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Science
ISBN : 1560256605

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The Day Without Yesterday by John Farrell Pdf

A portrait of the founder of modern cosmology traces Georges Lematre's efforts to decipher the nature of the cosmos, his Einstein-rejected model of an expanding universe, and his pivotal contribution to the understanding of the cosmos's origins.