Big Picture Questions: Physics (1780S to 1880S)

Physics Before Einstein:

“Classical Physics” (ca. 1780s-1880s)

“Big Picture” Questions:

1)  What were some of the major developments before Einstein?

2)  What were the changing understandings of phenomena including light, heat, electricity, & magnetism?

3)  What were the most important conceptual changes and experimental findings?

General Trends in 19th-century Physics

1)  specialization & professionalization

2)  unification of diverse phenomena

Major Theoretical Developments (c. 1800 – c. 1900)

1)  light (corpuscular theory à undulatory theory)

2)  heat (caloric theory à kinetic theory)

3)  electricity (imponderable fluids à electromagnetic field theory)

4)  magnetism (imponderable fluids à electromagnetic field theory)

5)  thermodynamics (study of heat & motion, 1840s-50s)

a)  conservation of energy à 1st Law

b)  dissipation of energy à 2nd Law

6)  electromagnetic theory of light

a)  nature of the luminiferous ether (1860s+)

b)  Maxwell’s equations (1870s)

c)  Michelson-Morley experiment (1880s)

7) radioactivity & sub-atomic physics (1890s+)

Big Picture Questions: Physics (1780s to 1880s)

1)  What were the major changes in physics from the late 18th century to the late 19th century?

2)  Who contributed to the formation of ‘classical physics’ during this period & what specifically did they contribute or discover?

3)  In what ways did various phenomena such as heat, light, electricity, and magnetism become more unified during this period?

4)  How & why did science become more specialized & professional during this period?

(late 18th century)

light à corpuscular (particle)

electricity à imponderable fluid(s)

magnetism à imponderable fluid(s)

heat à caloric (substance)

science à hobby for gentleman (“natural philosophers”)

OVERALL TRENDS

1)  unification & reduction

2)  specialization & professionalization

3)  more & more mathematical descriptions

(late 19th century)

wave theory of light à Young, Fresnel (1820s)

electromagnetic field theory à Faraday, Maxwell (1840s-60s)

thermodynamics/kinetic theory à Rumford, Joule, Helmholtz, Clausius (1840s-50s)

atomic theory of matter à Dalton, Mendeleev

science à trained professionals (“scientists”)

(early 20th century)

relativity theory à Einstein (1905, 1915)

quantum theory à Max Planck (1900)

study of radioactivity à Becquerel, Roentgen, Marie Curie, etc.

structure of the atom à J. J. Thomson, Rutherford, Chadwick, Fermi, Meitner, Hahn, Frisch, etc.