Inventing Temperature: Measurement and Scientific Progress

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Hasok Chang (Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London)

Inventing Temperature

Measurement and Scientific Progress

Hasok Chang (Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London)

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English

Oxford University Press
24 April 2008

Philosophy; History of ideas; Mathematics & Sciences; Philosophy of science; Scientific equipment, experiments & techniques; Thermodynamics & heat

Series: Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Science

What is temperature, and how can we measure it correctly? These may seem like simple questions, but the most renowned scientists struggled with them throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In Inventing Temperature, Chang examines how scientists first created thermometers; how they measured temperature beyond the reach of standard thermometers; and how they managed to assess the reliability and accuracy of these instruments without a circular reliance on the instruments themselves.

In a discussion that brings together the history of science with the philosophy of science, Chang presents the simple eet challenging epistemic and technical questions about these instruments, and the complex web of abstract philosophical issues surrounding them. Chang's book shows that many items of knowledge that we take for granted now are in fact spectacular achievements, obtained only after a great deal of innovative thinking, painstaking experiments, bold conjectures, and controversy. Lurking behind these achievements are some very important philosophical questions about how and when people accept the authority of science.

By: Hasok Chang (Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies University College London)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 155mm, Width: 231mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 445g
ISBN: 9780195337389
ISBN 10: 0195337387
Series: Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Science
Publication Date: 24 April 2008
Audience: College/higher education , A / AS level
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chronology: 1: Keeping the Fixed Points Fixed 2: Spirit, Air, and Quicksilver 3: To Go Beyond 4: Theory, Measurement, and Absolute Temperature 5: Measurement, Justification, and Scientific Progress

Reviews for Inventing Temperature: Measurement and Scientific Progress

the most important book on this subject since Bridgman's classic work of 1927... Chang's book should become mandatory reading for anyone who wants to pursue the problem of measurement further. Donald Gillies, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science