Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Philosophy of Science
The Discovery Of Quantum Mechanics, Patrick A. Heelan
The Discovery Of Quantum Mechanics, Patrick A. Heelan
Research Resources
In this chapter Heelan discusses how Heisenberg's insight of 1925, that physics should concern itself henceforth only with relations between observables, changed the intentionality-structure of physics. This insight led Heisenberg to the construction of a quantum mechanics of observables. Heelan briefly discusses the significance of his insighand of his rejection of Schrödinger's wave mechanics; the novelty of quantum mechanics as a physical theory, and the meaning he attributed to its most surprising result, viz., the Indeterminacy Relations. The crisis was a crisis of the rationalism inherent in the outlook of classical physics, and Heisenberg's insistence on "observable quantities" was a …
Classical Mechanics And Quantum Mechanics, Patrick A. Heelan
Classical Mechanics And Quantum Mechanics, Patrick A. Heelan
Research Resources
Given that quantum mechanics is validly applicable wherever classical mechanics is applicable, how are they related to one another? A consideration of this question leads to a reflection on the Correspondence Principle. We conclude that the most basic formulation of the Correspondence Principle refers to the continuity of formulae when applied to marginal matter, taking into account the differences in correspondence rules between a typical classical theory and QM.