History of the Foundations of Physics in the 20th Century
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with a comprehension of the development of physics in the twentieth century through a study of some historically significant cases. The course may be useful for the conception, organization and coordination of cultural activities and projects concerning the history of physics and its relationships with philosophy.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student
- knows the fundamental elements of the development of physics during the twentieth century
- knows the details, including some mathematical demonstrations and experimental results, of some important discoveries in physics achieved during the twentieth century
- understands the relationships between the history of contemporary scientific thought and the history of philosophy and the philosophy of science
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the student
- can apply the knowledge acquired in situating authors and texts historically
- can apply the scientific lexicon of the twentieth century to the analysis and discussion of texts and problems
- can apply the understanding of the historical relationships between science and philosophical doctrines to the analysis and discussion of texts and problems.
At the end of the course, the student
- knows the fundamental elements of the development of physics during the twentieth century
- knows the details, including some mathematical demonstrations and experimental results, of some important discoveries in physics achieved during the twentieth century
- understands the relationships between the history of contemporary scientific thought and the history of philosophy and the philosophy of science
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the student
- can apply the knowledge acquired in situating authors and texts historically
- can apply the scientific lexicon of the twentieth century to the analysis and discussion of texts and problems
- can apply the understanding of the historical relationships between science and philosophical doctrines to the analysis and discussion of texts and problems.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of subatomic particles, seems to challenge common sense. Waves behave like particles; particles behave like waves. You can tell where a particle is, but not how fast it is moving — or vice versa. An electron faced with two tiny holes will travel through both at the same time, rather than one or the other (really so?). And then there is the enigma of creation ex nihilo, in which small particles appear with their so-called antiparticles, only to disappear the next instant in a tiny puff of energy. Since its inception, physicists and philosophers have struggled to work out the meaning of quantum mechanics. Some, like Niels Bohr, have responded to quantum mechanics' mysteries by replacing notions of position and velocity with probabilities. Others, like Einstein and Penrose, have disagreed and think that the entire puzzle reflects not a fundamental principle of nature but our own ignorance of basic scientific processes. The book by Ghirardi that we will comment offers a deep and real understanding of the problems inherent to the interpretation of quantum mechanics. The course will present a balanced overview of the development of the philosophy of quantum mechanics from the times of Planck and Einstein up to the seminal papers published in 1935 by Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen and Schrödinger and will explore how the theory of quantum mechanics was interpreted in conflicting ways by Einstein and Bohr.
Online platform used: MyAriel https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=3243
No streaming of lectures available, unless the classroom is fully booked (which is very unlikely for this course)
Some recordings covering key concepts will be made available until the end of the course. I will upload the recordings on Ariel.
For those who cannot attend: you will be able to participate via Teams to two lectures delivered online on the 16th and the 23d of November. These lectures will be part of the discussion of suggested readings
This program is valid for one academic year, according to the rules established for this course of studies.
Online platform used: MyAriel https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=3243
No streaming of lectures available, unless the classroom is fully booked (which is very unlikely for this course)
Some recordings covering key concepts will be made available until the end of the course. I will upload the recordings on Ariel.
For those who cannot attend: you will be able to participate via Teams to two lectures delivered online on the 16th and the 23d of November. These lectures will be part of the discussion of suggested readings
This program is valid for one academic year, according to the rules established for this course of studies.
Prerequisites for admission
A B2 certificate in English is required. A high-school (final year) background in physics (esp. Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetism) is recommended
Teaching methods
The first 40 hours will consist in lectures delivered by the instructor. Useful information and slides will be uploaded to the MyAriel platform.
https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=3243
The last 20 hours will consist in presentations based on the suggested readings (see Materiale di Riferimento) organized by the students.
https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=3243
The last 20 hours will consist in presentations based on the suggested readings (see Materiale di Riferimento) organized by the students.
Teaching Resources
Assignments for both 6 and 9 CFU exams:
Giancarlo Ghirardi, Sneaking a Look at God's Cards: Unraveling the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics, Revised Edition, Princeton UP, 2007 ISBN: 9780691130378 [Edizione italiana: Un'occhiata alle carte di Dio: gli interrogativi che la scienza moderna pone all'uomo, Il Saggiatore, 2015, ISBN: 978-8842821359], chapters 1-7 (pp. 1- 164, we skip Sections 3.4 and 3.5, pp. 51-59, and Section 4.6, pp. 97-102). Pages are referred to the English edition.
For students who are not attending. Course for 6 CFU. To the above add:
Faye, Jan, "Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2024 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), forthcoming URL =
or https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/
(downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
Additional assignments for 9 CFU exam:
Giancarlo Ghirardi, Sneaking a Look at God's Cards: Unraveling the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics, Revised Edition, Princeton UP, 2007 ISBN: 9780691130378 [Edizione italiana: Un'occhiata alle carte di Dio: gli interrogativi che la scienza moderna pone all'uomo, Il Saggiatore, 2015, ISBN: 978-8842821359], chapter 8 (pp. 165-194) and chapter 15 (pp. 344-372, we skip the Appendix 15A on pp. 373-376). Pages are referred to the English edition.
Niels, Bohr, 1949, "Discussions with Einstein on epistemological problems in atomic physics" in Schilpp, P.A., (ed.), Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1949, pp. 199-241. Reprinted in Bohr, Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge, 1959, pp. 32-66. (downloadable from https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/dk/bohr.htm
D. R. Murdoch, Niels Bohr's Philosophy of Physics (Cambridge University Press, 1987), ISBN: 9780521379274, pp. 168-178 and pp. 195-235. (downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
For students who are not attending. Course for 9 CFU. To the above add:
Faye, Jan, "Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2024 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), forthcoming URL =
or https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/
(downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
and
Fine, Arthur and Thomas A. Ryckman, "The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Argument in Quantum Theory", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
(downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
Giancarlo Ghirardi, Sneaking a Look at God's Cards: Unraveling the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics, Revised Edition, Princeton UP, 2007 ISBN: 9780691130378 [Edizione italiana: Un'occhiata alle carte di Dio: gli interrogativi che la scienza moderna pone all'uomo, Il Saggiatore, 2015, ISBN: 978-8842821359], chapters 1-7 (pp. 1- 164, we skip Sections 3.4 and 3.5, pp. 51-59, and Section 4.6, pp. 97-102). Pages are referred to the English edition.
For students who are not attending. Course for 6 CFU. To the above add:
Faye, Jan, "Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2024 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), forthcoming URL =
or https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/
(downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
Additional assignments for 9 CFU exam:
Giancarlo Ghirardi, Sneaking a Look at God's Cards: Unraveling the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics, Revised Edition, Princeton UP, 2007 ISBN: 9780691130378 [Edizione italiana: Un'occhiata alle carte di Dio: gli interrogativi che la scienza moderna pone all'uomo, Il Saggiatore, 2015, ISBN: 978-8842821359], chapter 8 (pp. 165-194) and chapter 15 (pp. 344-372, we skip the Appendix 15A on pp. 373-376). Pages are referred to the English edition.
Niels, Bohr, 1949, "Discussions with Einstein on epistemological problems in atomic physics" in Schilpp, P.A., (ed.), Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1949, pp. 199-241. Reprinted in Bohr, Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge, 1959, pp. 32-66. (downloadable from https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/dk/bohr.htm
D. R. Murdoch, Niels Bohr's Philosophy of Physics (Cambridge University Press, 1987), ISBN: 9780521379274, pp. 168-178 and pp. 195-235. (downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
For students who are not attending. Course for 9 CFU. To the above add:
Faye, Jan, "Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2024 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), forthcoming URL =
or https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/
(downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
and
Fine, Arthur and Thomas A. Ryckman, "The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Argument in Quantum Theory", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
(downloadable from the MyAriel page of this course)
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment methods
Both for students who have attended the course and for those who haven't the final examination consists in an oral exam.
The purpose of the oral exam is to test the knowledge and the critical comprehension, of the topics covered in the works indicated in this programme in the field "materiale di riferimento", and the fact that the student has acquired the correct linguistic skills to express and discuss these topics.
Evaluation criteria:
The oral exam is divided into two parts. In the first part the instructor will propose a topic to the student. In case the answer of the student is considered sufficient (18/30), the exam will continue with a discussion on a topic chosen by the student. All topics must be part of the programme taught during the course and included in the reference material ("materiale di riferimento"). A mark will be obtained on the basis on the following criteria (1 to 10 points: factual information + 1 to 10 points language skills, + 1 to 10 points understanding of technical/ scientific content).
Both for students who have attended the course and for those who haven't the final examination consists in an oral exam.
The purpose of the oral exam is to test the knowledge and the critical comprehension, of the topics covered in the works indicated in this programme in the field "materiale di riferimento", and the fact that the student has acquired the correct linguistic skills to express and discuss these topics.
Evaluation criteria:
The oral exam is divided into two parts. In the first part the instructor will propose a topic to the student. In case the answer of the student is considered sufficient (18/30), the exam will continue with a discussion on a topic chosen by the student. All topics must be part of the programme taught during the course and included in the reference material ("materiale di riferimento"). A mark will be obtained on the basis on the following criteria (1 to 10 points: factual information + 1 to 10 points language skills, + 1 to 10 points understanding of technical/ scientific content).
M-STO/05 - HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Guicciardini Corsi Salviati Niccolo'
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
Thursday 10:30-13:30
Contact me via mail: a Skype/Teams/Zoom video call can be arranged.