Early Physics and Astronomy

A Historical Introduction

Olaf Pedersen author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:11th Mar '93

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Early Physics and Astronomy cover

The book describes how the scientific account of the world arose among the Greeks and developed in the Middle Ages.

A concise exposition of the development of the scientific ideas of the universe from the ancient Greeks until Copernicus paved the way for the modern era in science. The many references to the literature on the subject make it possible to use the book as a guide to a more detailed study.The book is an introductory exposition of the development of the physical and astronomical notions of the universe. It covers the period from Greek antiquity to the Copernican revolution and the Renaissance, half of the text being devoted to medieval science within both the Aristotelian and the Archimedean traditions. The book is intended for a general audience interested in intellectual and scientific developments, but should also be useful as a guide to further studies. Thus it has an extensive bibliography classifying much of the secondary literature on the subject, and also a sixty page 'dictionary' of all the scientists and philosophers mentioned in the text. This contains references to printed editions of the sources and to a selection of books and periodicals.

'This is an exceptional book, written with a clarity of style which not only reveals the broad ebb and flow of scientific ideas throughout the ages, but also illuminates them by closely focussed images of specific individuals and the inspired ideas which brought about the emerging understanding of the physical world. Olaf Pedersen has presented us with an epitome of classical and scientific scholarship, and for that we should be grateful indeed.' Webb Society Quarterly Journal
' ... recommend to anyone interested in the history of science...' Journal of the British Astronomical Society

ISBN: 9780521408998

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 24mm

Weight: 620g

424 pages