Research Catalog

The rise and fall of the "Fifth Force" : discovery, pursuit, and justification in modern physics

Title
The rise and fall of the "Fifth Force" : discovery, pursuit, and justification in modern physics / Allan Franklin.
Author
Franklin, Allan, 1938-
Publication
New York : American Institute of Physics, ©1993.

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Details

Description
141 pages : illustrations; 25 cm
Summary
"An article in the January 8, 1986 issue of The New York Times dramatically announced, "Hints of Fifth Force in Nature Challenge Galileo's Findings." Just four years later, many of those who had worked on the concept concluded that "the Fifth Force is dead.""--BOOK JACKET. "Reading like a detective story, The Rise and Fall of the Fifth Force discloses the curious history of the quick advance and swift demise of the "Fifth Force"--a proposed modification of Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and one of the most publicized physics hypotheses in recent memory. While discussing the origin and fate of this short-lived concept, The Rise and Fall of the Fifth Force delivers a fascinating analysis of the ways in which scientific hypotheses in general are promulgated and pursued."--BOOK JACKET. "What leads to the formulation of a hypothesis? How and why does a hypothesis become considered worthy of further investigation? These are some of the questions that The Rise and Fall of the Fifth Force pursues while unraveling the dynamics of this scientific search."--BOOK JACKET. "Taking aim at the "social constructivist" view of science, which posits social and professional interests as the primary engine behind hypothesis-making, Allan Franklin proposes an "evidence model" of science. He emphasizes the crucial role that experimental evidence plays in the discovery, pursuit, and justification of scientific proposals and suggests a distinction between the reasons for scientific pursuit and the reasons used to justify hypotheses."--BOOK JACKET. "Buttressing Franklin's model, The Rise and Fall of the Fifth Force provides a unique comparison of the published record and the private e-mail correspondence of the three major authors of the Fifth Force hypothesis during the first six months following the publication of their proposal."--BOOK JACKET. "A fascinating inquiry into a scientific hypothesis and the forces that first advanced and then rejected it, The Rise and Fall of the Fifth Force is an outstanding account for physicists, historians and philosophers of science, and all readers interested in what makes science tick."--Jacket.
Subject
  • Geschichte 1986-1990
  • Physics > Methodology
  • Gravitation
  • Physics > Philosophy
  • Science > Philosophy
  • Hypothesis
  • CP-Parität
  • Gravitationstheorie
  • Gravitatie
  • Découvertes scientifiques
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. [129]-138) and index.
Contents
Ch. 1. The Rise ... (a). K Mesons and CP Violation. (b). Modifications of Newtonian Gravity. (c). The Fifth Force -- Ch. 2. ... and Fall. (a). The Immediate Reaction. (b). An Electronic Interlude (Ref. 56). (c). Is It Rising or Falling? (d). The Force is Falling. (e). The Force is Not With Us. (f). Some Reasons Why. (g). Epilogue -- Ch. 3. Discussion.
ISBN
  • 1563961199
  • 9781563961199
LCCN
92043551
OCLC
  • ocm27172613
  • 27172613
  • SCSB-1987345
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library