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37H. Hertz: 'The electrostatic and electromagnetic properties of the cathode rays are either "nil" or very feeble.' A Case-study of an Experimental ErrorStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 18 (3): 367. 1987.
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34Geometry of Light and Shadow: Francesco Maurolyco (1494–1575) and the Pinhole CameraAnnals of Science 64 (4): 549-578. 2007.Summary In his Theoremata de lumine, et umbre (1521), Francesco Maurolyco (1494–1575) discussed, inter alia, the problem of the pinhole camera. Maurolyco outlined a framework based on Euclidean geometry in which he applied the rectilinear propagation of light to the casting of shadow on a screen behind a pinhole. We limit our discussion to the problem of how the image behind an aperture is formed, and follow the way Maurolyco combined theory with instrument to solve the problem of the projection…Read more
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32Kepler's Optical Part of Astronomy (1604): Introducing the Ecliptic InstrumentPerspectives on Science 17 (3): 307-345. 2009.The year 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of one of the most revolutionary scientific texts ever written. In this book, appropriately entitled, Astronomia nova, Johannes Kepler developed an astronomical theory which departs fundamentally from the systems of Ptolemy and Copernicus. One of the great innovations of this theory is its dependence on the science of optics. The declared goal of Kepler in his earlier publication, Paralipomena to Witelo whereby The Optical Part of Astr…Read more
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31On Kepler's awareness of the problem of experimental errorAnnals of Science 44 (6): 545-591. 1987.SummaryThis paper is an account of Kepler's explicit awareness of the problem of experimental error. As a study of the Astronomia nova shows, Kepler exploited his awareness of the occurrences of experimental errors to guide him to the right conclusion. Errors were thus employed, so to speak, perhaps for the first time, to bring about a major physical discovery: Kepler's laws of planetary motion. ‘Know then’, to use Kepler's own words, ‘that errors show us the way to truth.’ With a survey of Kepl…Read more
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29The Optics of Giambattista Della Porta : A Reassessment (edited book)Springer Verlag. 2017.This volume contains essays that examine the optical works of Giambattista Della Porta, an Italian natural philosopher during the Scientific Revolution. Coverage also explores the science and technology of early modern optics. Della Porta's groundbreaking book, Magia Naturalis, includes a prototype of the camera. Yet, because of his obsession with magic, Della Porta's scientific achievements are often forgotten. As the contributors argue, his work inspired such great minds as Johanes Kepler and …Read more
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26Error and Uncertainty in Scientific Practice (edited book)Pickering & Chatto. 2014.Assessment of error and uncertainty is a vital component of both natural and social science. This edited volume presents case studies of research practices across a wide spectrum of scientific fields. It compares methodologies and presents the ingredients needed for an overarching framework applicable to all.
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19In addition to his scientific achievements, James Clerk Maxwell was an innovator in methodologies in physics. In fact, in his hands methodology and theory mutually inform one another, an aspect of his work that has not been properly appreciated. We examine closely from a methodological perspective Maxwell’s contributions to electromagnetism and uncover a trajectory of great interest, which we call Maxwell’s methodological odyssey. There are four principal stations along the fifteen-year trajecto…Read more
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17Law and Order natural regularities before the scientific revolutionStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 81 1-5. 2020.
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15Milton’s Thomistic Distinction: On the Usefulness of the Distinction Between Mistake and Error in ‘Samson Agonistes’In Andreas Speer & Maxime Mauriège (eds.), Irrtum – Error – Erreur (Miscellanea Mediaevalia Band 40), De Gruyter. pp. 743-756. 2018.
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15A view of the Center for Philosophy of Science from an Israeli perspective.
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15The Art of Conjecturing, Together with Letter to a Friend on Sets in Court Tennis - by Jacob BernoulliCentaurus 50 (4): 335-337. 2008.
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13This monograph examines James Clerk Maxwell's contributions to electromagnetism to gain insight into the practice of science by focusing on scientific methodology as applied by scientists. First and foremost, this study is concerned with practices that are reflected in scientific texts and the ways scientists frame their research. The book is therefore about means and not ends.
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12Adding Velocities without Exceeding the Velocity of Light: Wilhelm Wien's Algorithm (1904) and Albert Einstein's Light PostulateCentaurus 48 (2): 89-113. 2006.
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12Does a Living System Have a State?In A. Rojszczak, J. Cachro & G. Kurczewski (eds.), Philosophical Dimensions of Logic and Science, Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 139--150. 2003.
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11Legendre’s Revolution (1794): The Definition of Symmetry in Solid GeometryArchive for History of Exact Sciences 59 (2): 107-155. 2005.
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10How Einstein Made Asymmetry Disappear: Symmetry and Relativity in 1905Archive for History of Exact Sciences 59 (5): 437-544. 2005.
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10‘Natures’ and ‘Laws’: The making of the concept of law of nature – Robert Grosseteste (c. 1168–1253) and Roger BaconStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 61 21-31. 2017.
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9Models and Precision: The Quality of Ptolemy's Observations and Parameters by John Phillips Britton (review)Isis 86 469-470. 1995.
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7Magnification: How to turn a spyglass into an astronomical telescopeArchive for History of Exact Sciences 66 (4). 2012.According to the received view, the first spyglass was assembled without any theory of how the instrument magnifies. Galileo, who was the first to use the device as a scientific instrument, improved the power of magnification up to 30 times. How did he accomplish this feat? Galileo does not tell us what he did. We hold that such improvement of magnification is too intricate a problem to be solved by trial and error, accidentally stumbling upon a complex procedure. We construct a plausibility arg…Read more
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6Putting Error to (Historical) Work: Error as a Tell-tale in the Studies of Kepler and GalileoCentaurus 46 (1): 58-81. 2004.
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4Maxwell's role in turning the concept of model into the methodology of modelingStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 88 (C): 321-333. 2021.
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2How to conceive the atom: imagery vs. formalismKairos 13 213-236. 2015.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion.
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2Generating Experimental Knowledge (edited book)Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. 2008.
Areas of Specialization
Epistemology |
Metaphysics |
Epistemological Theories |
Philosophical Methods |