Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities
<p>The aim of this thesis is to extend the success of a novel strategy for the interpretation of symmetry-related models — sophistication — to contemporary physical theories’ internal symmetries. In order to do so, I propose that a theory’s quantities possess a certain structure. The problemat...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
|
| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1817932497127735296 |
|---|---|
| author | Jacobs, C |
| author2 | Caulton, A |
| author_facet | Caulton, A Jacobs, C |
| author_sort | Jacobs, C |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>The aim of this thesis is to extend the success of a novel strategy for the interpretation of symmetry-related models — sophistication — to contemporary physical theories’ internal symmetries. In order to do so, I propose that a theory’s quantities possess a certain structure. The problematic underdetermination of symmetry-related models arises when we attribute too much structure to the fundamental quantities.</p>
<p>The advantage of sophistication is that it enables a realist interpretation of symmetry-variant quantities, which often figure in the scientific explanation of physical effects. I illustrate sophistication with two case studies: one of mass in Newtonian Gravitation and one of gauge quantities in the Aharonov-Bohm effect. On the traditional approach, symmetries are seen as a guide to superfluous theoretical structure. The alternative I offer demands a reconceptualisation of symmetries as playing a more positive role, namely as a guide towards the structure of physical quantities.</p>
<p>This thesis is approximately 65,000 words long.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T20:18:21Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:2cef8463-70fe-4a27-9cc3-c430eb430c37 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-09T03:38:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:2cef8463-70fe-4a27-9cc3-c430eb430c372024-12-07T10:34:13ZSymmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantitiesThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:2cef8463-70fe-4a27-9cc3-c430eb430c37PhilosophyPhysicsEnglishHyrax Deposit2021Jacobs, CCaulton, ARead, JPooley, ODewar, N<p>The aim of this thesis is to extend the success of a novel strategy for the interpretation of symmetry-related models — sophistication — to contemporary physical theories’ internal symmetries. In order to do so, I propose that a theory’s quantities possess a certain structure. The problematic underdetermination of symmetry-related models arises when we attribute too much structure to the fundamental quantities.</p> <p>The advantage of sophistication is that it enables a realist interpretation of symmetry-variant quantities, which often figure in the scientific explanation of physical effects. I illustrate sophistication with two case studies: one of mass in Newtonian Gravitation and one of gauge quantities in the Aharonov-Bohm effect. On the traditional approach, symmetries are seen as a guide to superfluous theoretical structure. The alternative I offer demands a reconceptualisation of symmetries as playing a more positive role, namely as a guide towards the structure of physical quantities.</p> <p>This thesis is approximately 65,000 words long.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Philosophy Physics Jacobs, C Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| title | Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| title_full | Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| title_fullStr | Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| title_short | Symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| title_sort | symmetries as a guide to the structure of physical quantities |
| topic | Philosophy Physics |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jacobsc symmetriesasaguidetothestructureofphysicalquantities |