Eisenthal, Joshua (2021) Hertz's Mechanics and a unitary notion of force. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 90. pp. 226-234. ISSN 00393681
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Abstract
Heinrich Hertz dedicated the last four years of his life to a systematic reformulation of mechanics. One of the main issues that troubled Hertz in the customary formulation of mechanics was a ‘logical obscurity’ in the notion of force. However, it is unclear what this logical obscurity was, hence it is unclear how Hertz took himself to have avoided it.
In this paper, I argue that a subtle ambiguity in Newton's original laws of motion lay at the basis of Hertz's concerns; an ambiguity which led to the development of two slightly different notions of force. I then show how Hertz avoided this ambiguity by deriving a unitary notion of force, thus dispelling the obscurity that lurked in the customary representation of mechanics.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Heinrich Hertz, principles, mechanics, force, Thomson, Tait | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science |
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| Depositing User: | Dr Joshua Eisenthal | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jun 2025 13:30 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 16 Jun 2025 13:30 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 25716 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science | ||||||
| Publisher: | Elsevier | ||||||
| Official URL: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/... | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.10.004 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science |
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| Date: | 2021 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 226-234 | ||||||
| Volume: | 90 | ||||||
| ISSN: | 00393681 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25716 |
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