Tentative Issues in Modern Physics

W. Macdonald Smith

Yan Shi-ping

This article introducs the Aharonov-Bohm effect and the basic physical quantity in the modern theory of electromagnetic field in detail,then explaining the scalar potential physical effect,base on the vector potential Aharonov-Bohm effect,and proposes the experimental tentative plan.

V. M. Tuchkevich

Stuart Boehmer

In this paper we start with a description of the standard picture of reality assumed by most practicing physicists, especially popularizers of science. We then discuss ways in which quantum theory and relativity present difficulties for this picture. The trend in modern physics instantiated by the quantum and relativity theories is away from an objective, bird’s eye view of the world towards a description in terms of the subjective perceptions of observers immersed in the world. I tentatively complete this trend by describing a provisional theory in which the fundamental entity is the visual image seen by an observer at a given locality; I call this theory the theory of the Light Matter Complex. From here, it is but a short leap to Berkeleyan idealism, which, as we discuss in the conclusion, solves some problems in the theory of knowledge, justifying taking such a mad system of thought seriously.

Otávio Bueno

In this paper, I argue that symmetry principles in physics (in particular, in quantum mechanics) have a methodological character, rather than an ontological or an epistemological one. First, I provide a framework to address three related issues regarding the notion of symmetry: (i) how the notion can be characterized; (ii) one way of discussing the nature of symmetry principles, and (iii) a tentative account of some types of symmetry in physics. To illustrate how the framework functions, I then consider the case of the early formulation of quantum mechanics, examining the different roles played by symmetry in this context. Finally, I raise difficulties for ontological and purely epistemological interpretations of symmetry principles, and offer a methodological alternative.