Rigorous, concise, and provocative monograph analyzes the ancient concept of mass, the neoplatonic concept of inertia, the modern concept of mass, mass and energy, and much more. 1964 edition.

The concept of mass is one of the most fundamental notions in physics, comparable in importance only to those of space and time. But in contrast to the latter, which are the subject of innumerable physical and philosophical studies, the concept of mass has been but rarely investigated. Here Max Jammer, a leading philosopher and historian of physics, provides a concise but comprehensive, coherent, and self-contained study of the concept of mass as it is defined, interpreted, and applied in contemporary physics and as it is critically examined in the modern philosophy of science. With its focus on theories proposed after the mid-1950s, the book is the first of its kind, covering the most recent experimental and theoretical investigations into the nature of mass and its role in modern physics, from the realm of elementary particles to the cosmology of galaxies. The book begins with an analysis of the persistent difficulties of defining inertial mass in a noncircular manner and discusses the related question of whether mass is an observational or a theoretical concept. It then studies the notion of mass in special relativity and the delicate problem of whether the relativistic rest mass is the only legitimate notion of mass and whether it is identical with the classical (Newtonian) mass. This is followed by a critical analysis of the different derivations of the famous mass-energy relationship E = mc2 and its conflicting interpretations. Jammer then devotes a chapter to the distinction between inertial and gravitational mass and to the various versions of the so-called equivalence principle with which Newton initiated his Principia but which also became the starting point of Einstein's general relativity, which supersedes Newtonian physics. The book concludes with a presentation of recently proposed global and local dynamical theories of the origin and nature of mass. Destined to become a much-consulted reference for philosophers and physicists, this book is also written for the nonprofessional general reader interested in the foundations of physics.

Jammer then devotes a chapter to the distinction between inertial and gravitational mass and to the various versions of the so-called equivalance principle with which Newton initiated his Principia but which also became the starting point of Einstein's general relativity, which supersedes Newtonian physics. The book concludes with a presentation of recently proposed global and local dynamical theories of the origin and nature of mass."--BOOK JACKET.

This work by a noted physicist traces conceptual development from ancient to modern times. Kepler's initiation, Newton's definition, subsequent reinterpretation — contrasting concepts of Leibniz, Boscovich, Kant with those of Mach, Kirchhoff, Hertz. "An excellent presentation." — Science.

In this book Drs J X Zheng-Johansson and Per-Ivar Johansson present a remarkable unification scheme. The scheme is based on an analysis of the overall experimental observations available up to today, and an observation of the unsolved problems maintained in contemporary theoretical physics, revisiting past controversies and putting them in context with contemporary physics. The unsolved problems were the agent stimulating the authors to invent a new bold unification scheme. Vacuum polarisation, with a vacuuon (a pair of strongly bound opposite-signed charges) as a free entity, gets you back to the days of the ether concept, abandoned by physics after the Michelson-Morley experiment by the end of the 19:th century. Starting from constructing the fundamental building blocks for the vacuum and material particles, the Newtonian-Maxwellian solutions the authors obtain yield insights into fundamental concepts such as vacuum, charge, and mass. For instance, can vacuum be described by a building block denoted vacuuon, with or without mass depending on pushed into motion or not? Can free charges be described as a mass-less entity? Can and how vacuum polarise? However, even if vacuum in the real Universe never polarises as proposed in this unification scheme, it may yet serve as another tool in the physics toolbox, a theoretical bridge between classical and modern physics. Physics and physical theory is a human invention, a mathematical description of the intrinsic properties of the Universe and its associated phenomena. Our understanding of the Universe is a reaction of our mind, of our way of understanding. Richard Feynman once noted about the Maxwell equations something that goes like: If a mathematical theory in physics cannot be proved by experiments it remains to be proved mathematically. Ultimately, it must be possible to test any new theory by experiments. If experimental tests are not possible we are left with a mere hypothesis based on equations. The unification scheme proposed by this work consists of a Proposition about the fundamental building blocks (ap- and n-vaculeon) and a series of Predictions from Newtonian-Maxwellian solutions based on that Proposition. The arriving at the Proposition and the Predictions, relating to classical, quantum and relativistic mechanics, is their context. The book is a challenge out of the ordinary, a challenge that deserves careful consideration.

Historical surveys consider Judeo-Christian notions of space, Newtonian absolute space, perceptions from 18th century to the present, more. Numerous quotations and references. "Admirably compact and swiftly paced style." — Philosophy of Science.