Olivier Darrigol (CNRS, SPHERE)
Special attention is given to Boltzmann’s theoretical tool-box and to his patient construction of lofty formal systems even before their full conceptual import could be known. This constructive tendency largely accounts for his lengthy style, for the abundance of new constructions, for the relative vagueness of their object—and for the puzzlement of commentators. This book will help the reader cross the stylistic barrier and see how ingeniously Boltzmann combined atoms, mechanics, and probability to invent new bridges between the micro- and macro-worlds."
"
• Provides a faithful representation of all of Boltzmann’s relevant works
Clarity allows for a quick understanding of Boltzmann’s most difficult reasoning
• Reveals the secrets of Boltzmann’s constructive efficiency, explains his original suspension of conceptual issues, and his late solutions to conceptual difficulties
• Accessible to various readers, be they interested in overview, in biographical aspects, in specific contributions, in philosophical-methodological issues, or in technical points of physics."
: : Oxford University Press
: : 28/02/2018
: : 640 p.
: : ISBN : 9780198816171
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART A : Preliminaries
1 : Life and work : A sketch
2 : Theories of heat : Some background
PART B : Exegesis
3 : Constructing thermal equilibrium (1866-1871)
4 : The Boltzmann equation and the H theorem (1872-1875)
5 : The probabilistic turn (1876-1884)
6 : The analogical turn (1884-1887)
7 : Consolidation (1887-1895)
8 : The critical turn (1895-1899)
9 : Lectures on gas theory (1896-1898)
PART C : Synthetic Reflections
10 : Boltzmann’s theory