Mathematical Rigor in Physics: Putting Exact Results in Their Place.

The present paper examines the role of exact results in the theory of many-body physics, and specifically the example of the Mermin-Wagner theorem, a rigorous result concerning the absence of phase transitions in low-dimensional systems. While the theorem has been shown to hold for a wide range of m...

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Publicado en:Philosophy of Science Vol. 72; no. 5; pp. 723 - 739
Autor principal: Gelfert, Axel
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Cambridge University Press Dec2005
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Mathematical Rigor in Physics: Putting Exact Results in Their Place.
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        au: Gelfert, Axel
        affil: Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore, 3 Arts Link, Singapore 117570
      su:
        Mathematics
        Physics
        Physical sciences
        Scientists
        Many-body problem
        Analytical mechanics
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          Mathematics
          Physics
          Physical sciences
          Scientists
          Many-body problem
          Analytical mechanics
      ab: The present paper examines the role of exact results in the theory of many-body physics, and specifically the example of the Mermin-Wagner theorem, a rigorous result concerning the absence of phase transitions in low-dimensional systems. While the theorem has been shown to hold for a wide range of many-body models, it is frequently 'violated' by results derived from the same models using numerical techniques. This raises the question of how scientists regulate their theoretical commitments in such cases, given that the models, too, are often described as approximations to the underlying 'full' many-body problem.
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    language: English
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