THE AESTHETICS OF THE SUBLIME IN TWENTIETH CENTURY PHYSICS

By MARK MILLER

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 CHAPTER 1 INERTIAL MASS 5 CHAPTER 2 RELATIVISTIC MASS 41 CHAPTER 3 THE MASS ENERGY RELATION 62 CHAPTER 4 GRAVITATIONAL MASS AND THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUIVALENCE 90 CHAPTER 5 THE NATURE OF MASS 143 CONCEPTS OF MASS IN CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS AND PHILOSOPHY 1 CONCEPTS OF MASS IN CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS AND PHILOSOPHY INTRODUCTION THE CONCEPT OF MASS IS ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL NOTIONS IN PHYSICS COMPARABLE IN IMPORTANCE ONLY TO THE CONCEPTS OF SPACE AND TIME ISAAC NEWTON WHO WAS THE RST TO MAKE SYSTEMATIC USE OF THE CONCEPT OF MASS WAS ALREADY AWARE OF ITS IMPORTANCE IN PHYSICS IT WAS PROBABLY NOT A MATTER OF FORTUITY THAT THE VERY RST STATEMENT IN HIS PRINCIPIA THE MOST IN UENTIAL WORK IN CLASSICAL PHYSICS PRESENTS HIS DE NITION OF MASS OR OF QUANTITAS MATERIAE AS HE STILL USED TO CALL IT 1 HOWEVER HIS DE NITION OF MASS AS THE MEASURE OF THE QUANTITY OF MATTER ARISING FROM ITS DENSITY AND BULK CONJOINTLY WAS FOR SEVERAL REASONS SOON REGARDED AS INADEQUATE SINCE THEN THE QUEST FOR AN ADEQUATE DE NITION OF MASS COMBINED WITH THE SEARCH FOR A MORE PROFOUND UNDERSTANDING OF ITS MEANING ITS NATURE AND ITS ROLE IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES HAS NEVER CEASED TO ENGAGE THE ATTENTION OF PHYSICISTS AND PHILOSOPHERS ALIKE THAT STILL TODAY MASS IS A MESS AS A CONTEMPORARY PHYSICIST PUN NINGLY PHRASED IT 2 SHOULD NOT COME AS A SURPRISE FOR IN THE WORLD OF HUMAN THOUGHT GENERALLY AND IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE PARTICULARLY THE MOST IMPORTANT AND MOST FRUITFUL CONCEPTS ARE THOSE TO WHICH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ATTACH A WELL ESTABLISHED MEANING 3 YET THE REMARKABLE PROGRESS IN EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL PHYSICS MADE DURING THE PAST FEW DECADES HAS CONSIDERABLY DEEPENED OUR KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE NATURE OF MASS IN PARTICULAR RECENT ADVANCES IN THE GENERAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY AND IN THE THEORY OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES HAVE OPENED NEW VISTAS THAT PROMISE TO LEAD US TO A MORE PROFOUND UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF MASS IT IS THE INTENTION OF THE PRESENT STUDY TO REVIEW THESE DEVELOPMENTS IN A RIGOROUS AND YET CONCISE FASHION 3