Popular Physics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Public performance as a means of communicating science to the lay audiences is not a new endeavour, having precedents at least as early as the 18th century. However, with the emergence of the Public Understanding of Science movement and... more
Public performance as a means of communicating science to the lay audiences is not a new endeavour, having precedents at least as early as the 18th century. However, with the emergence of the Public Understanding of Science movement and its demands for active engagement with the public, the performing arts were brought to new dimensions by the social actors involved in the practice of science communication. As a specific scientific domain, contemporary physics remains a difficult subject to approach using the non-verbal communication predominant to the performing arts, and is traditionally thought of as being much more suited for the written or audio-visual media, which are the conventional media for communicating science. This paper aims to analyze the mechanisms through which the highly specialized contemporary physical theories – relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory – succeed in reaching the general public by unconventional media such as theatre and dance. The play Spooky Action: The Drama of Quantum Mechanics (World Science Festival, 2013) or the contemporary dance Three Theories (Karole Armitage, 2008) are only two of such recent performances which deal with physics topics, for which scientists, artists and science communicators cooperate in a common effort to use the human body in order to create these elaborate science shows. Placed at the boundary of science and art, and frequently integrated into science festivals, these performances offer an unequal, though efficient mix of information and entertainment, in the quest of making science accessible and appealing to the public. The impact of these shows on the audience must be judged in an extended context, the performing arts being only one link, an important one, in a highly intricate communication process, which completes and sustains the traditional popular science books and science documentaries.
The highly specialized field of string theory has become, in the last decade and a half, a major subject within the public communication of physics. The ambitious and all-encompassing perspective on the physical world proposed by string... more
The highly specialized field of string theory has become, in the last decade and a half, a major subject within the public communication of physics. The ambitious and all-encompassing perspective on the physical world proposed by string theorists, driven by the endeavour to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics, has had meaningful manifestations in popular culture. This paper aims to analyze the mechanisms through which scientific and popular accounts of string theory were co-constructed in the many attempts of scientists, science communicators and popular culture producers, to gauge this new understanding of the physical reality. Strings are depicted and conceived at the boundary of science with fictional discourse and aesthetic values. From Brian Greene’s inaugural book The Elegant Universe (1999), to Karole Armitage’s modern dance Three Theories (2010), the concept of string, as well as other implications of string theory – such as the eleven dimensions or the parallel universes, to name just a few – were the main topics for popularizations in a variety of media, where they were constantly enriched with new tones. The depiction of strings quickly spread in popular culture through sequels, TV science documentaries and science festivals, and then even through references into other pure popular genres (sitcoms, cartoons). This ultimately led to the creation of a soundly articulated constellation of popular products around string theory, with coextensive meanings, produced by actors placed inside, at the boundary, or even outside the scientific community. The fictional and the aesthetic infusion applied to the scientific acception of string theory attests a highly integrated communication process, which highlights the continuum between the professional and the popular.
In 1931, Dirac advanced a startling prediction about the existence of a new elementary particle, characterized by a magnetic charge of a single polarity: the magnetic monopole. This prediction, that was not based on experimental reasons... more
In 1931, Dirac advanced a startling prediction about the existence of a new elementary particle, characterized by a magnetic charge of a single polarity: the magnetic monopole. This prediction, that was not based on experimental reasons but on mathematical consistency considerations and the generalization of the formalism of quantum mechanics, illustrates emblematically the Dirac conception of the relationship between physics and mathematics.
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Nel 1931 Dirac avanzò una sorprendente previsione circa l'esistenza di una nuova particella elementare, caratterizzata da una carica magnetica di un'unica polarità: il monopolo magnetico. Questa previsione, che non era fondata su ragioni sperimentali ma su considerazioni di consistenza matematica e sulla generalizzazione del formalismo della meccanica quantistica, illustra emblematicamente la concezione di Dirac del rapporto tra fisica e matematica.
In questo articolo, a metà strada tra l'esposizione didattica e il resoconto storico, vengono affrontati alcuni momenti significativi dello sviluppo della teoria atomica ai suoi primordi. In particolare, sono presentati, nella loro... more
In questo articolo, a metà strada tra l'esposizione didattica e il resoconto storico, vengono affrontati alcuni momenti significativi dello sviluppo della teoria atomica ai suoi primordi. In particolare, sono presentati, nella loro sequenza logica e cronologica, gli avvenimenti e le scoperte principali che hanno messo in luce la struttura discreta del livello di energia dell'atomo, dai primi studi sulla scomposizione della luce coi prismi alla teoria quantistica.
Nel 1931 Dirac avanzò una sorprendente previsione circa l'esistenza di una nuova particella elementare, caratterizzata da una carica magnetica di un'unica polarità: il monopolo magnetico. Questa previsione, che non era fondata su ragioni... more
Nel 1931 Dirac avanzò una sorprendente previsione circa l'esistenza di una nuova particella elementare, caratterizzata da una carica magnetica di un'unica polarità: il monopolo magnetico. Questa previsione, che non era fondata su ragioni sperimentali ma su considerazioni di consistenza matematica e sulla generalizzazione del formalismo della meccanica quantistica, illustra emblematicamente la concezione di Dirac del rapporto tra fisica e matematica.
Popularized explanations of the color of the sea often prove to be incomplete or oversimplified, and hence inadequate to become acquainted with the phenomenon in its whole. In this paper, after a historical review of the investigations on... more
Popularized explanations of the color of the sea often prove to be incomplete or oversimplified, and hence inadequate to become acquainted with the phenomenon in its whole. In this paper, after a historical review of the investigations on the subject in recent centuries and a brief account of the current state of knowledge, the topic is addressed in a more rigorous way adopting a comprehensive and multidisciplinary viewpoint. A phenomenological model providing operational results in educational context is proposed.
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Le spiegazioni del colore del mare proposte a scopo didattico o divulgativo si rivelano spesso incomplete o eccessivamente semplificate, e dunque inadeguate alla comprensione della totalità del fenomeno. In questo articolo, dopo una rassegna storica delle indagini sull'argomento negli ultimi due secoli e un accenno allo stato attuale delle conoscenze, il problema viene affrontato in modo più rigoroso adottando un punto di vista comprensivo e pluridisciplinare. Viene proposto un modello fenomenologico in grado di fornire risultati operativi in contesto didattico.
In this article, halfway between popularized exposition and historical account, some key moments in the development of atomic theory in its beginnings are discussed. In particular, the events and the major discoveries that have... more
In this article, halfway between popularized exposition and historical account, some key moments in the development of atomic theory in its beginnings are discussed. In particular, the events and the major discoveries that have highlighted the discrete structure of the atom's energy levels are presented in their logical and chronological sequence, starting from early studies on the decomposition of light by prisms until the quantum theory.
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In questo articolo, a metà strada tra l'esposizione divulgativa e il resoconto storico, vengono affrontati alcuni momenti significativi dello sviluppo della teoria atomica ai suoi primordi. In particolare, sono presentati, nella loro sequenza logica e cronologica, gli avvenimenti e le scoperte principali che hanno messo in luce la struttura discreta dei livelli di energia dell'atomo, dai primi studi sulla scomposizione della luce coi prismi alla teoria quantistica.
Si ritiene tradizionalmente che la nascita della teoria quantistica sia avvenuta il 14 dicembre 1900, quando Planck presentò la dimostrazione della formula della radiazione. Recenti ricostruzioni la collocano invece nel marzo del 1905,... more
Si ritiene tradizionalmente che la nascita della teoria quantistica sia avvenuta il 14 dicembre 1900, quando Planck presentò la dimostrazione della formula della radiazione. Recenti ricostruzioni la collocano invece nel marzo del 1905, esattamente cento anni fa, quando Einstein avanzò l'ipotesi dei quanti di luce. Articolo celebrativo dell'Anno Internazionale della Fisica 2005.
Le spiegazioni del colore del mare proposte a scopo didattico o divulgativo si rivelano spesso incomplete o eccessivamente semplificate, e dunque inadeguate alla comprensione della totalità del fenomeno. In questo articolo, dopo una... more
Le spiegazioni del colore del mare proposte a scopo didattico o divulgativo si rivelano spesso incomplete o eccessivamente semplificate, e dunque inadeguate alla comprensione della totalità del fenomeno. In questo articolo, dopo una rassegna storica delle indagini sull’argomento negli ultimi due secoli e un accenno allo stato attuale delle conoscenze, il problema viene affrontato in modo più rigoroso adottando un punto di vista comprensivo e pluridisciplinare. Viene proposto un modello fenomenologico in grado di fornire risultati operativi in contesto didattico.
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Popularized explanations of the color of the sea often prove to be incomplete or oversimplified, and hence inadequate to become acquainted with the phenomenon in its whole. In this paper, after a historical review of the investigations on the subject in recent centuries and a brief account of the current state of knowledge, the topic is addressed in a more rigorous way adopting a comprehensive and multidisciplinary viewpoint. A phenomenological model providing operational results in educational context is proposed.