Alfred North Whitehead Cambridge, MA United States Map It View count: 227 |
Professor of Mathematics, Philosopher (Deceased) Interests: Gravity, General Relativity, Philosophy of Science Nationality: English / USA Born: Friday, February 15, 1861 Died: Tuesday, December 30, 1947 (Age 86) Memorial Wall: read / add a dedication Related Websites:
Biography Alfred North Whitehead was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education. He co-authored the epochal Principia Mathematica with Bertrand Russell... The period between 1910 and 1924 was mostly spent at University College London and Imperial College London, where he taught and wrote on physics, the philosophy of science, and the theory and practice of education. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society since 1903 and was elected to the British Academy in 1931. In physics, Whitehead articulated a rival doctrine to Einstein's general relativity. His theory of gravitation is now discredited because its predicted variability of the gravitational constant G disagrees with experimental findings. Whitehead's theory of gravitation is said to feature a prior geometry. It has the curious feature that electromagnetic waves propagate along null geodesics of the physical spacetime (as defined by the metric determined from geometrical measurements and timing experiments), while gravitational waves propagate along null geodesics of a flat background represented by the metric tensor of Minkowski spacetime. Whitehead's theory makes the same predictions as general relativity regarding the four classical solar system tests (gravitational red shift, light bending, perihelion shift, Shapiro time delay), and was regarded as a viable competitor of general relativity for several decades. Clifford M. Will claims that the theory makes predictions concerning ordinary ocean tides on Earth which are in violent disagreement with observation, which immediately nullified this theory. In 1989, a new interpretation of Whitehead's theory was proposed that accorded with those observed tidal effects. However, the new interpretation did not satisfy another observed effect, called the "Nordtvedt Effect." - Wikipedia Books:
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The Principle of Relativity by Alfred North Whitehead Pages: 204 Publisher: Cosimo Classics Year: 1922/2007 ISBN: 1602062188 ISBN: 978-1602062184 Buy it now Description Following up on his two previous works, The Principles of Natural Knowledge and The Concept of Nature, Whitehead explains his alternative theory of relativity, which "cuts away the casual heterogeneity" of Einstein's later theory. Dividing his book into three parts--General Principles, Physical Applications, and Elementary Theory of Tensors--the author's arguments and observations utilize his own unique mix of nature, philosophy, and "the old division between physics and geometry." This work, first published in 1922, is essential reading for students, teachers, scientists, or anyone interested in the relationship of physics to philosophy. English mathematician and philosopher ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD (1861-1947) contributed significantly to 20th-century logic and metaphysics. With Bertrand Russell he cowrote the landmark Principia Mathematica, and also authored The Concept of Nature, The Function of Reason, and Process and Reality. |