Questions tagged [physics]
Physics is the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.
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Special Relativity - Discussions I've seen online
I've seen some odd discussions on this forum that have stuck with me. But I've seen there are some very clever physicists and philosophers on here who actually understand relativity...
In relativity ...
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Are there concepts of laws-of-physics where the laws have a "fail rate"?
The closest to this idea I could find was talk of ceteris paribus laws, but it was hard to tell how much this concerned physics, even just potentially/speculatively. But having decided to believe that ...
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Special Relativity philosophical implications
If an observer on Andromeda moves forwards and backwards their notion of now here on Earth sways back and forth over hundreds of years
Why don't we constantly oscillate over hundreda of years whenever ...
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How meaningful is the notion of now here on Earth?
Special relativity and the lack of a now moment is causing me a bit of grief.
How meaningful is the notion of now here on Earth between each of us? Does the lack of an objective now moment in any way ...
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Can the continuum hypothesis be settled in physics?
Can the continuum hypothesis be settled in physics? In a lecture mathematician Woodin considers the possibility:
Develops the mathematical physics of a mathematical understanding of
the physical ...
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Is the design answer to fine-tuning sufficiently complete?
If the problem of "fine tuning for life" (SEP) is that the precise value of some constants (and laws) in physics seems necessary to the emergence of life in our universe but at the same time ...
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Describing the universe using symbols?
Now, for someone who wants to describe the universe using symbols.
Let's say I describe some phenomena up-to some approximation. I use some symbols to do this.
For example consider the ideal gas ...
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How does Hegel account for the laws of physics?
This is related to:
How do non-theist idealists account for laws of physics?
But I'm narrowing down this question specifically to Hegel. If reality is Geist (which is something like mind/spirit), and ...
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Dimensional constants, evolution and the anthropic principle?
If I think of a process like say evolution. I can in some sense map the process of evolution to an algorithm. But my point is that evolution in some sense yes is modelled by this but this missed out ...
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The symbol grounding problem, physicalism and 2nd law of thermodynamics?
How does a physicalist resolve this dilemma (and what is it known as)?
Consider a physicalist who wants to solve the symbol grounding problem. He postulates that a particular brain configuration ...
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Do preceding events cause subsequent ones in a four-dimensionalist world?
I feel like this question has a good chance of having been asked here before, but the first ten-odd "similar questions" listed by the site when I composed the title didn't cover what I'm ...
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Philosophical implications of entangled states (and the 2022 physics nobel prize)
FYI: For the 2022 Physics Noble Prize announcement, see here.
First, I realize the subjective nature of any potential answers or discussions regarding this question. In spite of that, I'm still ...
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How does entropy explain consciousness and the forward direction of time?
How does entropy explain consciousness and the forward direction of time? I was told that entropy is the increasing of disorderliness and that consciousness cannot exist as memory increases when ...
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What are the relational and absolute quantities in classical mechanics?
So it seems to a lot classical mechanics involves identifying fundamental quantities (like velocity) but the meaningful questions are absolute quantities like relative velocity.
I've been trying to ...
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Is human thought itself a fundamental force?
To begin with, as far as I understand, there are four well accepted forces of nature:
Gravity
Weak interaction
Strong interaction
Electromagnetism
Now, these forces are all characterized by changing ...
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The Principle of Least Action as a Theory of Everything?
Theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder views the Principle of Least Action as " the closest thing we have to a theory of everything." It works in classical physics as well as in quantum ...
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Can the laws of physics rule out disembodied minds?
In this article, philosopher Evan Fales argues that the laws of physics establish that disembodied minds (such as an immaterial God, for example) could not influence the physical world. Is it true?
(...
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Is philosophy useful in physics?
Is philosophy useful in physics? How can philosophy help physics?
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What is the most probable AI?
then I have a difficult question to ask.
Let's imagine that in the distant future of our universe, through the arrangement of atoms that move in empty space, various objects are formed, any object can ...
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We know Classical Mechanics is wrong. But can we also say every other theory is wrong except the Theory of Everything?
Classical Mechanics (CM) or Quantum Mechanics (QM) is technically wrong. That doesn't mean they are irrelevant or have less significance, but they are wrong regardless of how accurate they are. Can we ...
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Unique-ness in the languages of Math and Physics?
Background
So here's something I was pondering about:
A teacher asks a student: "what is 3+1?"
The student replies "3+1"
It's not that the student's reply is wrong. But it's not an ...
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On the connection between science and reality
My question is basically targetting various sciences that we use to understnad the real world and how we form laws in them.
For example, in physics, we first see sometthing in the real world. Let it ...
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A terrifying variant of Boltzmann's brain
I am new to this forum even though I have read a lot on the subject of boltzmann's brains and have come to a terrifying conclusion, the classic argument which for example Sean Carroll used, "The ...
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Why does the universe need an origin?
Buddhism sees the universe as uncreated, eternal. Even if the big bang were true, it could just be part an endless cycle of expansion and contraction.
I'm looking for an argument against the universe ...
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Does the equivalence principle hint at the quantization of gravity? [closed]
So I've been pondering about the equivalence principle:
"Einstein came to realise the principle of equivalence, and it states that an accelerated system is (locally) completely physically ...
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What is meant by a more "general" theory?
It is often said that special relativity is more general than Newtonian mechanics. Is there any precise meaning of what is meant by more "general"?
I would consider a theory A more general ...
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What is the physical interpretation of a Godel sentence?
If I think of the laws of physics as a system of axioms then what is the physical interpretation of a Godel sentence? I'm trying to wrap my head around what Godel's theorem means for physics?
More ...
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In the EPR paradox, what was Einstein's argument against God playing dice?
Imagine an experiment as used in formulating the EPR paradox. Say we entangle two electrons and separate them by a great distance. If we measure the z-component of spin, on one of them, sz1, we know ...
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Would gravity be noticeable without physical charge? [closed]
I answered a question on the physics site about the difference between the classical notion of gravitational force and the notion in general relativity. I answered that the force used in the Newtonian ...
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The problem of Motion
I recently heard that motion, the observation that things move, or rather change, was considered a real philosophical problem. What is the status of that question? Can someone e point me to an essay ...
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Why is the word "illusion" used regarding free will, given our physics theories?
In the study into free will, I've heard many people use the word "illusion" to describe free will. I think their reasoning is that since all matter behaves according to the rules of physics, ...
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What is the philosopher's take on information and thermodynamic entropy?
So there are various interpretations of probability.
Frequentism is the likelihood of events of say for example if I roll a dice the likelihood of of getting a 5 is 1/6 if repeated over and over.
...
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What is the difference between Humeans and primitivist approaches in relation to the laws of nature?
The Great Divide in metaphysical debates about laws of nature is between Humeans who think that laws merely describe the distribution of matter and non-Humeans (primitivists) who think that laws ...
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How would Focault's Archaelogy of Sciences view Physics which just attempts to describe physical reality and not turn humans into subjects?
His work i believe is great with Biology and Psychiatry etc. since it elucidates how humans are turned into subjects, but how does he reject grand theories derived from Physics which simply describes ...
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What is a "world" according to Sir. Roger Penrose?
In Symposium: the Road to Reality (22.01.2019), part II - Sir Roger Penrose a few diagrams are presented that include a "Physical World", a "Mental World", and a "Platonic/...
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Can universe be known? [closed]
Since intelligent life is known one of its aspirations seems to be understanding of the world. Currently physics provides a pretty good explanation of the universe. There are areas that are not ...
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How do non-theist idealists account for laws of physics?
Berkeley has a god that forces regularity of sensations/perception on all other minds. So a super-mind is the source of the laws of physics. I assume it's the same with any theistic idealism.
But I ...
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To what extent is mathematics a tool to grasp the world beyond human intuition?
To what extent are mathematical formalisms an extension of intuitive reasoning to grasp the world such as in the fields of Quantum Physics and Relativity?
My first thought is that when intuitive ...
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The shape and extension of the fundamental particles
You could say that particles are just 0-dimensional points. But point particles are just an idealization. If particles are taken to exist physically, and anything which has physical existence has ...
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Examples of physicists who are platonists?
Max Tegmark is perhaps the best example, with his idea which basically proposes that every mathematically possible universe exists.
Are there any other examples of physicists with a similar line of ...
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Does Shape Dynamics use Space relationalism?
(Already posted this on Physics Stack Exchange, hope it's okay)
On Wikipedia it says Shape dynamics is an implementation of Space relationalism however I don't see how this can be true.
In general ...
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Kant vs Scientific Rationalism - Do we need the Ding an Sich
I actually like Kant's distinction between noumena and phenomena. But I have a nagging doubt.
If we look at modern physics, appearances can be explained by entities such as atoms, electrons and quarks ...
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Does a decrease in entropy require intent?
Physics tells us that universally entropy is always increasing. However, it is possible for entropy to decrease locally at the expense of a bigger increase elsewhere.
Can this happen spontaneously or ...
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What is left of physics if the mathematics is removed?
My question is in the title.
It seems to me that (theoretical) physics studies mathematical models of the physical world, and constantly revises them. But isn't studying mathematical models ...
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Since spacetime can bend and form waves, does this mean it must be made of sub-units of matter? How can something bend if it does not have sub-units?
I posted this question in Physics StackExchange, but it was closed because it was considered "non-mainstream physics", not sure why. Here's the description I wrote for it:
My question is ...
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How do multiple time dimensions appear to allow the breaking or re-ordering of cause-and-efect in the flow of any one dimension of time?
Multiple time dimensions appear to allow the breaking or re-ordering
of cause-and-effect in the flow of any one dimension of time. This and
conceptual difficulties with multiple physical time ...
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Explanatory model that accounts for universality
Hempel's DN (Deductive-Nomological) model is a kind of explanatory model, that accounts for explanation of certain type of questions. Basically If I look for explanation for the laws of motion of a ...
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Is there any theory that states that the universe is moving?
Is there any theory that states that the universe is moving? By that, I mean the universe is moving relative to a point in a different space containing the universe. By analogy, the universe would ...
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Infinity mirror?
Not sure if this should be in the physics section or here in philosophy. I think the topic may fit in both domains. What has lead me to inquire about this particular effect is the description of it as ...
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Can we see the sciences as an art?
I always feel some kind of fulfillment when I succed in giving Natural processes an explanation in the light of physics. It's kind of comforting to make invisible causes visible and understandable.
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