Quantum Potential

Quantum Potential

Recently the interest in Bohm realist interpretation of quantum mechanics has grown. The important advantage of this approach lies in the possibility to introduce non-locality ab initio, and not as an unexpected host. In this book the authors give a detailed analysis of quantum potential, the non-locality term and its role in quantum cosmology and information. The different approaches to the quantum potential are analysed, starting from the original attempt to introduce a realism of particles trajectories (influenced by de Broglie’s pilot wave) to the recent dynamic interpretation provided by Goldstein, Durr, Tumulka and Zangh, and the geometrodynamic picture, with suggestion about quantum gravity. Finally we focus on the algebraic reading of Hiley and Birbeck school, that analyse the meaning of the non-local structure of the world, bringing important consequences for the space, time and information concepts.

Quantum Potential

Philosophical Faith and the Future of Humanity

Philosophical Faith and the Future of Humanity

Karl Jaspers, who died in 1969, had a profound impact on 20th-century theology and philosophy. His central thesis called for, among other things, a de-centering of philosophy from its Eurocentric roots and a renewal of its dialogue with other traditions, especially Asian ones. This collection of essays includes unpublished work by Jaspers himself as well as testimonies to his life and career by colleagues, associates, and translators, some of who knew Jaspers personally. Readers will also find commentary and interpretation by researchers who have explored Jaspers work for decades, and a biographical account of Jaspers student Leonard Ehrlich, who handled much of Jaspers English translation.

Philosophical Faith and the Future of Humanity

Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths

Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths

From the age of Homer until late antiquity the culture of ancient Greece and Rome was permeated by images of Greek myths. Gods and heroes were represented as statues, on vase and wall paintings, on temples, on sarcophagi as well as on other media. This book offers, for the first time, a concise introduction into the interpretation of images of Greek myths. Its main aim is to make the pictorial versions of the myths comprehensible on their own terms. Ancient artists were well aware of the potential – but also the limitations – of these ‘silent’ images and of the strategies that made them ‘speak’ to the audience/viewer. The book combines detailed explanation of theoretical and methodological issues with exhaustive discussion of case studies. It will be useful and stimulating for all undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in classical mythology and ancient art.

Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths

Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Solid Solutions

Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Solid Solutions

The book deals with perovskite-type ferroelectric solid solutions for modern materials science and applications, solving problems of complicated heterophase/domain structures near the morphotropic phase boundary and applications to various systems with morphotropic phases. In this book domain stateinterface diagrams are presented for the interpretation of heterophase states in perovskite-type ferroelectric solid solutions. It allows to describe the stress relief in the presence of polydomain phases, the behavior of unit-cell parameters of coexisting phases and the effect of external electric fields. The novelty of the book consists in (i) the first systematization of data about heterophase states and their evolution in ferroelectric solid solutions (ii) the general interpretation of heterophase and domain structures at changing temperature, composition or electric field (iii) the complete analysis of interconnection domain structures, unit-cell parameters changes, heterophase structures and stress relief.

Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Solid Solutions

Tax Progression in OECD Countries

Tax Progression in OECD Countries

This is the first book that performs international and intertemporal comparisons of uniform tax progression with empirical data. While conventional measures of tax progression suffer from serious disadvantages for empirical analyses, this book extends uniform measures to progression comparisons of countries with different income distributions. Tax progression is analyzed in terms of Lorenz curve and Suits curve equivalents of net incomes and taxes. The authors derive six distinct definitions of the relation ‘is more progressive than’, which are then utilized for an empirical analysis of 13 countries included in the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS). In two thirds of all international comparisons of tax progression, the authors report a clear ranking of the respective countries in terms of progression dominance. Tax based definitions of greater progressivity perform best. These observations are yet reinforced by statistical tests. The book also provides an account of the institutional background of the involved countries in order to facilitate the interpretation of the data. Moreover, the authors conduct intertemporal comparisons of tax progression for selected countries and perform a sensitivity analysis with respect to the parameterization of the equivalence scale.

Tax Progression in OECD Countries

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a self-contained analysis of physical and chemical processes based on classical thermodynamic principles. Emphasis is placed on the fundamental principles with a combination of theory and practice, demonstrating their application to a variety of disciplines. This edition has been completely revised and updated to include new material and novel formulations, including new formulation and interpretation of The Second Law, discussions of heat vs. work, uniqueness of chemical potential, and construction of functions of state. This book will appeal to graduate students and professional chemists and physicists who wish to acquire a more sophisticated overview of thermodynamics and related subject matter.

Thermodynamics

Inverse Problems in Underwater Acoustics

Inverse Problems in Underwater Acoustics

Inverse problems have a long history in acoustics, optics, electromagnetics and geophysics, but only recently have the signals provided by ocean acoustic sensors become numerous and sophisticated enough to allow for realistic identification of the ocean parameters. Acoustic signals propagating for long distances in the water column and reflections of underwater sound from the ocean boundaries provide novel problems of interpretation and inversion. The chapters in this volume discuss some of the contemporary aspects of these problems. They provide recent and useful results for bottom recognition, inverse scattering in acoustic wave guides, and ocean acoustic tomography, as well as a discussion of some of the new algorithms, such as those related to matched-field processing, that have recently been used for inverting experimental data. Each chapter is by a noted expert in the field and represents the state of the art. The chapters have all been edited to provide a uniform format and level of presentation.

Inverse Problems in Underwater Acoustics

Rhetorical Ways of Thinking

Rhetorical Ways of Thinking

Rhetorical Ways of Thinking focuses on how the co-construction of learning models the interpretation of a mathematical situation. It is a comprehensive examination of the role of sociocultural-historical theory developed by Vygotsky. This book puts forward the supposition that the major assumptions of sociocultural-historic theory are essential to understanding the theorys application to mathematical pedagogy, which explores issues relevant to learning and teaching mathematics-in-context, thus providing a valuable practical tool for general mathematics education research. The most important goal, then, is to exemplify the merging of the theory with practice and the subsequent applications to mathematics teaching and learning. This monograph contains five chapters, including a primer to Vygotskys sociocultural historic theory, three comprehensive empirical studies examining: prospective teachers perception of mathematics teaching and learning and the practice of scaffolded instruction to assist practicing teachers in developing their understanding of pedagogical content knowledge. Finally, the book concludes with a contextualization of the theory, linking it to best practices in the classroom.

Rhetorical Ways of Thinking

The Emergent Multiverse

The Emergent Multiverse

The Emergent Multiverse presents a striking new account of the ‘many worlds’ approach to quantum theory. The point of science, it is generally accepted, is to tell us how the world works and what it is like. But quantum theory seems to fail to do this: taken literally as a theory of the world, it seems to make crazy claims: particles are in two places at once; cats are alive and dead at the same time. So physicists and philosophers have often been led either to give up on the idea that quantum theory describes reality, or to modify or augment the theory. The Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics takes the apparent craziness seriously, and asks, ‘what would it be like if particles really were in two places at once, if cats really were alive and dead at the same time’? The answer, it turns out, is that if the world were like thatif it were as quantum theory claimsit would be a world that, at the macroscopic level, was constantly branching into copieshence the more sensationalist name for the Everett interpretation, the ‘many worlds theory’. But really, the interpretation is not sensationalist at all: it simply takes quantum theory seriously, literally, as a description of the world. Once dismissed as absurd, it is now accepted by many physicists as the best way to make coherent sense of quantum theory. David Wallace offers a clear and up-to-date survey of work on the Everett interpretation in physics and in philosophy of science, and at the same time provides a self-contained and thoroughly modern account of itan account which is accessible to readers who have previously studied quantum theory at undergraduate level, and which will shape the future direction of research by leading experts in the field.

The Emergent Multiverse

Out of Eden

Out of Eden

In Out of Eden, Paul W. Kahn offers a philosophical meditation on the problem of evil. He uses the Genesis story of the Fall as the starting point for a profound articulation of the human condition. Kahn shows us that evil expresses the rage of a subject who knows both that he is an image of an infinite God and that he must die. Kahn’s interpretation of Genesis leads him to inquiries into a variety of modern forms of evil, including slavery, torture, and genocide.

Out of Eden