Elements for Physics

Quantities, Qualities, and Intrinsic Theories
Softcover Nachdruck of hardcover 1. Auflage 2006
ISBN: 978-3-642-06452-4
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 266 Seiten, Previously published in hardcover, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 429 g

While usual presentations of physical theories emphasize the notion of physical quantity, this book shows that there is much to gain when introducing the notion of physical quality. The usual physical quantities simply appear as coordinates over the manifolds representing the physical qualities. This allows to develop physical theories that have a degree of invariance much deeper than the usual one. It is shown that properly developed physical theories contain logarithms and exponentials of tensors: their conspicuous absence in usual theories suggests, in fact, that the fundamental invariance principle stated in this book is lacking in present-day mathematical physics. The book reviews and extends the theory of Lie groups, develops differential geometry, proposing compact definitions of torsion and of curvature, and adapts the usual notion of linear tangent application to the intrinsic point of view proposed for physics. As an illustration, two simple theories are studied with somedetail, the theory of heat conduction and the theory of linear elastic media. The equations found differ quantitatively and qualitatively from those usually presented.

Zielgruppe

Graduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tarantola, Albert

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein Theoretische Physik, Mathematische Physik, Computerphysik
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Technik: Allgemeines
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein Experimentalphysik
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein Geschichte der Physik
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Physik, Chemie für Ingenieure

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Geotensors.- Tangent Autoparallel Mappings.- Quantities and Measurable Qualities.- Intrinsic Physical Theories.

Über Autor(innen)

Professor at the University of Paris. Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Copenhagen. Silver medal of the French National Science Foundation. Author of a well-known book on Inverse Problem Theory.