1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910739435903321

Titolo

Trick or Truth? : The Mysterious Connection Between Physics and Mathematics / / edited by Anthony Aguirre, Brendan Foster, Zeeya Merali

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2016

ISBN

3-319-27495-3

Edizione

[1st ed. 2016.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (253 p.)

Collana

The Frontiers Collection, , 1612-3018

Disciplina

530

Soggetti

Physics

Philosophy and science

Mathematical physics

Mathematical logic

History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics

Philosophy of Science

Mathematical Applications in the Physical Sciences

Mathematical Logic and Foundations

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction -- Children of the cosmos (S. Wenmackers) -- Mathematics is Physics (M. S. Leifer) -- My god, it's full of clones: Living in a mathematical universe (M. Séguin) -- Let's consider two spherical chickens (T. Bolognesi) -- The raven and the writing desk (I. Durham) -- The deeper roles of mathematics in physical laws (K. H. Knuth) -- How mathematics meets the world (T. Maudlin) -- Mathematics: intuition's consistency check (K. Wharton) -- How not to factor a miracle (D. K. Wise) -- The language of nature (D. Garfinkle) -- Demystifying the applicability of mathematics (N. Fillion) -- Why mathematics works so well (N. S. Yanofsky) -- Genesis of a pythagorean universe (A. Burov) -- Beyond math (S. Magnusdottir) -- The descent of math (S. I. Walker) -- The ultimate tactics of self-referential systems (C. C. Dantas) -- Cognitive science and the connection between physics and mathematics (A. Gupta Mujumdar) --



A metaphorical chart of our mathematical ontology (P. Gibbs).-And the math will set you free (C. Stoica) -- Appendix: List of winners.

Sommario/riassunto

The prize-winning essays in this book address the fascinating but sometimes uncomfortable relationship between physics and mathematics. Is mathematics merely another natural science? Or is it the result of human creativity? Does physics simply wear mathematics like a costume, or is math the lifeblood of physical reality? The nineteen wide-ranging, highly imaginative and often entertaining essays are enhanced versions of the prize-winning entries to the FQXi essay competition “Trick or Truth”, which attracted over 200 submissions. The Foundational Questions Institute, FQXi, catalyzes, supports, and disseminates research on questions at the foundations of physics and cosmology, particularly new frontiers and innovative ideas integral to a deep understanding of reality, but unlikely to be supported by conventional funding sources.