IOP Groups

History of Physics meeting on 21 October 2006

The History of Physics Group annually organizes a concept meeting. This is intended to examine some important physics concept, or group of concepts, in terms of their origin and present status, with the intention of establishing whether clarifications have occurred which can be useful in teaching. Quantum theory abounds in difficult concepts and the present meeting concentrates on some of those surrounding the interpretation of the wave function and the photon.

An important aspect of the meeting will be a panel discussion which we hope the audience and panel will raise and examine issues which may be helpful in undergraduate teaching of quantum theory.

Programme
Chairman: Dr Hugh Montgomery (University of Edinburgh)

12:30 Registration and coffee

13:00 Introductory remarks by the Chairman

13:15 The Plank radiation law, past and present
Prof. Peter Landsberg (University of Southampton)

14:05 Alpha rays without particles: early wave-mechanical theories of the tracks in a Wilson chamber
Dr Michel Bitbol (CNRS, Paris)

14:55 Bohr's contribution to the interpretation of quantum mechanics and its subsequent evolution in contemporary physics
Prof. Basil Hiley, Birkbeck College, University of London

15:55 Tea

16:10 Panel discussion chaired by Dr Hugh Montgomery: The nature of the wave-function
(Participants are invited to suggest topics for discussion by the panel to Dr Hugh Montgomery or Sophie Duncan)

17:00 Close of meeting

17:15 Annual General Meeting of the History of Physics Group

Registration
If you expect to attend the meeting please contact the Honorary Secretary, Sophie Duncan. Details are at the foot of this page.

Contacts

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