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Dimensional Analysis
Excerpt from Dimensional Analysis
The introductory chapter is addressed to those who already have some acquaintance with the general method. Probably most readers will be of this class. I have tried to show in this chapter by actual examples what are the most important questions in need of discus sion. The reader to whom the subject is entirely new may omit this chapter without trouble.
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The introductory chapter is addressed to those who already have some acquaintance with the general method. Probably most readers will be of this class. I have tried to show in this chapter by actual examples what are the most important questions in need of discus sion. The reader to whom the subject is entirely new may omit this chapter without trouble.
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
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About the author
Percy Williams Bridgman
32 books22 followersPercy Williams Bridgman (21 April 1882 – 20 August 1961) was an American physicist who won the 1946 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the physics of high pressures. He also wrote extensively on the scientific method and on other aspects of the philosophy of science.
Bridgman entered Harvard University in 1900, and studied physics through to his Ph.D.. From 1910 until his retirement, he taught at Harvard, becoming a full professor in 1919. In 1905, he began investigating the properties of matter under high pressure. A machinery malfunction led him to modify his pressure apparatus; the result was a new device enabling him to create pressures eventually exceeding 100,000 kgf/cm² (10 GPa; 100,000 atmospheres). This was a huge improvement over previous machinery, which could achieve pressures of only 3,000 kgf/cm² (0.3 GPa). This new apparatus led to an abundance of new findings, including a study of the compressibility, electric and thermal conductivity, tensile strength and viscosity of more than 100 different compounds. Bridgman is also known for his studies of electrical conduction in metals and properties of crystals. He developed the Bridgman seal and is the eponym for Bridgman's thermodynamic equations.
Bridgman made many improvements to his high pressure apparatus over the years, and unsuccessfully attempted the synthesis of diamond many times.
His philosophy of science book The Logic of Modern Physics (1927) advocated operationalism and coined the term operational definition. He was also one of the 11 signatories to the Russell-Einstein Manifesto.
He was raised in the Congregational Church, but faith in God clashed with his well-known analytical nature and he told his family as a young man that he could not in good conscience become a church member, and later became an atheist. When his daughter became engaged in 1948 he became a temporary Justice of the Peace, for just long enough to conduct her non-religious marriage ceremony himself.
Bridgman committed suicide by gunshot after living with metastatic cancer for some time. His suicide note read in part, "It isn't decent for society to make a man do this thing himself. Probably this is the last day I will be able to do it myself." Bridgman's words have been quoted by many on both sides of the assisted suicide debate.
Bridgman received Doctors, honoris causa from Stevens Institute (1934), Harvard (1939), Brooklyn Polytechnic (1941), Princeton (1950), Paris (1950), and Yale (1951). He received the Bingham Medal (1951) from the Society of Rheology, the Rumford Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1919), the Elliott Cresson Medal (1932) from the Franklin Institute, the Gold Medal from Bakhuys Roozeboom Fund (founder Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom) (1933) from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Comstock Prize (1933) of the National Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the American Physical Society and was its President in 1942. He was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. He was a Foreign Member of the Royal Society and Honorary Fellow of the Physical Society of London.
The Percy W. Bridgman House, in Massachusetts, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark designated in 1975.
His students included nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
More: http://www.nndb.com/people/750/000099...
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prize...
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
Bridgman entered Harvard University in 1900, and studied physics through to his Ph.D.. From 1910 until his retirement, he taught at Harvard, becoming a full professor in 1919. In 1905, he began investigating the properties of matter under high pressure. A machinery malfunction led him to modify his pressure apparatus; the result was a new device enabling him to create pressures eventually exceeding 100,000 kgf/cm² (10 GPa; 100,000 atmospheres). This was a huge improvement over previous machinery, which could achieve pressures of only 3,000 kgf/cm² (0.3 GPa). This new apparatus led to an abundance of new findings, including a study of the compressibility, electric and thermal conductivity, tensile strength and viscosity of more than 100 different compounds. Bridgman is also known for his studies of electrical conduction in metals and properties of crystals. He developed the Bridgman seal and is the eponym for Bridgman's thermodynamic equations.
Bridgman made many improvements to his high pressure apparatus over the years, and unsuccessfully attempted the synthesis of diamond many times.
His philosophy of science book The Logic of Modern Physics (1927) advocated operationalism and coined the term operational definition. He was also one of the 11 signatories to the Russell-Einstein Manifesto.
He was raised in the Congregational Church, but faith in God clashed with his well-known analytical nature and he told his family as a young man that he could not in good conscience become a church member, and later became an atheist. When his daughter became engaged in 1948 he became a temporary Justice of the Peace, for just long enough to conduct her non-religious marriage ceremony himself.
Bridgman committed suicide by gunshot after living with metastatic cancer for some time. His suicide note read in part, "It isn't decent for society to make a man do this thing himself. Probably this is the last day I will be able to do it myself." Bridgman's words have been quoted by many on both sides of the assisted suicide debate.
Bridgman received Doctors, honoris causa from Stevens Institute (1934), Harvard (1939), Brooklyn Polytechnic (1941), Princeton (1950), Paris (1950), and Yale (1951). He received the Bingham Medal (1951) from the Society of Rheology, the Rumford Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1919), the Elliott Cresson Medal (1932) from the Franklin Institute, the Gold Medal from Bakhuys Roozeboom Fund (founder Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom) (1933) from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Comstock Prize (1933) of the National Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the American Physical Society and was its President in 1942. He was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. He was a Foreign Member of the Royal Society and Honorary Fellow of the Physical Society of London.
The Percy W. Bridgman House, in Massachusetts, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark designated in 1975.
His students included nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
More: http://www.nndb.com/people/750/000099...
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prize...
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 26, 2024
This is an ancient book, that is still one of the best on the subject.
This is a very short book, that will tell you most of what you need to know about dimensional analysis. Most importantly, it shows you cases when dimensional analysis does not work. This is vital - you cannot use a tool without knowing when you can and cannot use it.
Because it is so old, it has some parts where the physics is just wrong. It talks of the luminiferous ether, something we now know not to exist. These wrong parts are hopefully obvious to the reader, who should just skip those sections - they do not affect the reading of the rest of the book.
This is a very short book, that will tell you most of what you need to know about dimensional analysis. Most importantly, it shows you cases when dimensional analysis does not work. This is vital - you cannot use a tool without knowing when you can and cannot use it.
Because it is so old, it has some parts where the physics is just wrong. It talks of the luminiferous ether, something we now know not to exist. These wrong parts are hopefully obvious to the reader, who should just skip those sections - they do not affect the reading of the rest of the book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review