Books of Distinction

Max Jammer's Concepts of Simultaneity presents a comprehensive, accessible account of the historical development of an important and controversial concept—which played a critical role in initiating modern theoretical physics—from the days of Egyptian hieroglyphs through to Einstein's work in 1905, and beyond. Beginning with the use of the concept of simultaneity in ancient Egypt and in the Bible, the study discusses its role in Greek and medieval philosophy as well as its significance in Newtonian physics and in the ideas of Leibniz, Kant, and other classical philosophers. The central theme of Jammer's presentation is a critical analysis of the use of this concept by philosophers of science, like Poincaré, and its significant role in inaugurating modern theoretical physics in Einstein's special theory of relativity. Particular attention is paid to the philosophical problem of whether the notion of distant simultaneity presents a factual reality or only a hypothetical convention. The study concludes with an analysis of simultaneity's importance in general relativity and quantum mechanics.

Book of Distinction: 2007
Publication Date: November 2006
ISBN: 9780801884221 (0801884225), $49.95, Hardcover
Illustrations: no
Publisher: John Hopkins University Press

Author Info

Max Jammer (born 1915 in Berlin, Germany) is an Israeli physicist and philosopher of physics. He studied physics, philosophy and history of Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After a PhD in experimental physics, Jammer went to Harvard University for postgraduate work. He subsequently became a lecturer there and a close colleague of Albert Einstein at Princeton University. He taught at Harvard, the University of Oklahoma and Boston University, before establishing the Department and becoming Professor of Physics at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, where he later also served as President and Rector. He also co-founded the Institute for Philosophy of Science at Tel Aviv University, and has been President of the Association for the Advancement for Science in Israel. He was Visiting Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, the University of Göttingen, the Institut Henri Poincaré, Columbia University and other universities in the United States and Canada.

Editorial Reviews



	Concepts of Simultaneity From Antiquity to Einstein and Beyond Jammer, Max List Price: $49.95 Available at the Publisher's website Book Information / Details Author Info Editorial Reviews Press Release Max Jammer's Concepts of Simultaneity presents a comprehensive, accessible account of the historical development of an important and controversial concept—which played a critical role in initiating modern theoretical physics—from the days of Egyptian hieroglyphs through to Einstein's work in 1905, and beyond. Beginning with the use of the concept of simultaneity in ancient Egypt and in the Bible, the study discusses its role in Greek and medieval philosophy as well as its significance in Newtonian physics and in the ideas of Leibniz, Kant, and other classical philosophers. The central theme of Jammer's presentation is a critical analysis of the use of this concept by philosophers of science, like Poincaré, and its significant role in inaugurating modern theoretical physics in Einstein's special theory of relativity. Particular attention is paid to the philosophical problem of whether the notion of distant simultaneity presents a factual reality or only a hypothetical convention. The study concludes with an analysis of simultaneity's importance in general relativity and quantum mechanics. Book of Distinction: 2007 Publication Date: November 2006 ISBN: 9780801884221 (0801884225), $49.95, Hardcover Illustrations: no Publisher: John Hopkins University Press Author Info Max Jammer (born 1915 in Berlin, Germany) is an Israeli physicist and philosopher of physics. He studied physics, philosophy and history of Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After a PhD in experimental physics, Jammer went to Harvard University for postgraduate work. He subsequently became a lecturer there and a close colleague of Albert Einstein at Princeton University. He taught at Harvard, the University of Oklahoma and Boston University, before establishing the Department and becoming Professor of Physics at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, where he later also served as President and Rector. He also co-founded the Institute for Philosophy of Science at Tel Aviv University, and has been President of the Association for the Advancement for Science in Israel. He was Visiting Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, the University of Göttingen, the Institut Henri Poincaré, Columbia University and other universities in the United States and Canada. Editorial Reviews no reviews for this title Press Release no press releases for this title
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