What Einstein meant when he said “God does not play dice …”

We analyze Einstein’s views on God and religion, and his views on Quantum Mechanics. Vasant Natarajan is at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science. His research interests are in high-resolution laser spectroscopy, optical frequency measurement, and use of laser-cooled atoms to search for time-reversal violation in the laws of physics. He serves on the Editorial board of Resonance and contributes regularly to the journal. He considers himself an Ekalavya-type shishya to his guru Einstein. A picture of Einstein hangs above his chair. This article first appeared in ‘Backstage’ — a newsletter published to mark the theatre festival ‘Moitree’ organized by Mukhosh, a Bangalore-based Bengali theatre group.     

Brownian motion problem: Random walk and beyond

A brief account of developments in the experimental and theoretical investigations of Brownian motion is presented. Interestingly, Einstein who did not like God’s game of playing dice for electrons in an atom himself put forward a theory of Brownian movement allowing God to play the dice. The vital role played by his random walk model in the evolution of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and multitude of its applications is highlighted. Also included are the basics of Langevin’s theory for Brownian motion. Shama Sharma is currently working as lecturer at DAV College, Punjab. She is working on some problems in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. Vishwamittar is professor in physics at Panjab University, Chandigarh and his present research activities are in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. He has written articles on teaching of physics, history and philosophy of physics.     

拿什么拯救你 我的体面——关于台湾作家黄春明的《锣》

台湾作家黄春明在他的小说《锣》里刻画了一个阿Q般卑微而可怜的灵魂。主人公憨钦仔原是一个靠打锣喊话为生的小角色。20世纪70年代台湾经济转型时,新事物纷至沓来,锣被迫退出历史舞台,他无奈失业,遭遇生存危机。同时,他灵魂中源远流长的"贵族意识"也不可救药地发作了。艰难谋生之际,他更加殚精竭虑去维护那本就莫须有的尊贵与体面,为此他自欺欺人,费尽心机,几近精神崩溃,可最终还是体面支离破碎地沦落了———他疯了。     

爱因斯坦与中国近代物理教育

本文从中国近代物理教育的角度,介绍了爱因斯坦为我国培养物理学人才和途经上海作相对论演讲等工作,从而指出爱因斯坦为我国物理教育所作的积极贡献。     

Ernest Rutherford

Rutherford was the greatest experimental physicist since Faraday. He had the most astonishing insight into physical processes, and in a few remarks he would illuminate a whole subject. He liked his physics and his experiments simple and described his work in simple and concise language. Rutherford’s discovery of the atomic nucleus had solved the mystery of the matter which had troubled the world’s great philosophers for centuries. He is to the atom what Darwin is to evolution, Newton to mechanics, Faraday to electricity and Einstein to relativity. These are a few remarks made about Rutherford by his students and colleagues.     

苏轼的陶渊明情结及其诗文创作

陶诗经过六百年的流传，而被苏轼视为艺术绝诣而“尽和其诗”。苏轼向往陶渊明之隐，与其希望有用于世是相结合的。在陶醉岭南自然山水风物、吟咏啸歌之际，并不忘情有用于世。在被贬谪蛮荒之地的时候，又常怀渊明的归隐之念，保持自己淡泊的襟怀。苏轼的晚年就这样以陶渊明自比、自励，在他的诗中时时流露出“陶渊明情结”。     

爱因斯坦对物理学发展的贡献

爱因斯坦是一位对科学发展有杰出贡献的伟大物理学家，他一生的贡献是多方面的．他深入地研究了布朗运动；提出光量子概念，创立了光辐射量子理论，成功地解释了光电效应；创立了狭义相对论和广义相对论等等．所做出的贡献使他成为现代物理学的奠基者之一．     

试论张之洞的廉洁观

张之洞一生十分注意维护自己的廉正形象，他重立功立言，更重立德，体现了以廉为本的特色。他居身检索，廉于自身，服官47年，在故里未造一间房，未置一亩地，身后“家无一钱”；正身率职，廉于本职，就兢业业，事必躬亲，廉于社会，惩贫赏廉，裁撤陋规，整肃吏治，给当时腐败骄奢的官场带来了缕缕清风，也为当代人反腐倡廉、忧已戒已，留下了不朽的风范。     

Asking Questions

To ask a question is to invite a reply. If the question is relevant to anything of human account then presumably the reply will change one's perception of himself and his world. Sometimes one anticipates a reply which will confirm a position he has already taken, that is to say, one from which he has been accustomed to launch his inquiries. But the confirmation, if it occurs, will nonetheless alter his experience - if only because it puts his position in a more presumptuous light. He must know that.
Sometimes one anticipates a reply which will disconfirm his present outlook. In that case he may assert his position with particular vigor on the occasions when it is most likely to be challenged. A person who seems to go out of his way to fail does that. Again, sometimes, one appears to ask for no particular reply, only for something he can grasp. In this case the relevance of the question may give us a clue to a construct dimension we might envision within his system. That, in turn, should give us some hint as to the kind of reply he is prepared to accept.
The tricky part of all this, both for him and for us, is that replies seldom end up being acceptable conclusions. At best they are grounds for further inquiries. The best answer to a question is two better ones.     

爱因斯坦与思维创新

爱因斯坦是20世纪最伟大的科学家,也是一位对人类哲学思想有独到贡献的哲学家,更是一位用创新思维方法研究科学的创新巨匠。了解爱因斯坦的巨大贡献,学习爱因斯坦的创新精神,对于我们研究哲学社会科学对科技创新的作用有重要的意义。     

论戴望舒诗歌的艺术性

戴望舒是中国30年代“现代派” 著名诗人。在诗歌创作中,他重视抒写自己的内心世界,采用象征手法,将西方现代派诗歌技巧与中国传统诗歌意境有机地结合在一起。经过不断探索,逐渐形成了自己独特的艺术风格。     

Hans bethe, quantum mechanics, and the lamb shift

An elementary derivation of the Lamb Shift, as originally given by Hans Bethe, is attempted, with a short historical background on the evolution of QED since the beginning of the last century. The treatment is for a non-relativistic electron, in keeping with Bethe’s proverbial insight into the problem, which renders irrelevant the effect of the electron spin on the problem. The Kramer idea of renormalization is implemented through a simple subtraction of the self-energy of a free electron from that of the electron bound in a hydrogen atom. A N Mitra has had a long teaching service from 1955 to 1994 when he retired from Delhi University as INSA Einstein Professor of physics. He spent a year (1995) as visiting professor at NIAS (Bangalore). Since then he has been working as a free-lance writer-cum-researcher in physics, with periodic publications on scientific matters of current interests. Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.     

时代呼唤新的爱因斯坦

2005年是国际物理年。100年前的1905年，爱因斯坦发表了著名的相对论、光量子论等。本文介绍了作为物理学家的爱因斯坦的生平、对科学的贡献以厦爱因斯坦带给我们的几点启示，以激励更多的人投身到物理事业中来。     

Of connections and fields—II

In the first part of this article¹ we gave an elementary introduction to Chern’s ideas and their impact on modern physics. In this concluding article we describe some more advanced applications of Chern’s ideas. This second part is some-what more demanding than the first part and is addressed to students with some background in mathematics and physics. Joseph Samuel is a theoretical physicist and by natural inclination a classical mechanic. Over the years he has strayed into other fields like optics, general relativity and very recently DNA elasticity. A unifying theme in his work is differential geometry and topology in physics. He keeps moderately fit by raising and lowering indices and relaxes by playing semiclassical guitar.     

《炼狱》中的罪与救赎

在悲剧《炼狱》中,普罗科托因犯下通奸罪不经意间启动了萨勒姆镇一些人的种种欲望和罪恶,为自己和那些无辜的人们带来了巨大的灾难。一直不能正视自己罪孽的他,面对法庭和宗教强权的逼索,在妻子的帮助下最终战胜了自己的罪恶、软弱和自卑,找回了自己纯净纯善的灵魂,完成了自我救赎。这只迷途的羔羊终于回到了上帝的怀抱,坚持真理、捍卫良知,获得了新生而成为圣人。该剧展示出现实社会中严峻考验下人性最光辉的一面,让观众对人性的回归有了坚定的信念。     

试论陈炽的国防思想

陈炽，早期维新思想家，他的国防思想形成于19世纪90年代。自强自立的爱国精神是其国防思想形成的基础。四维说是其边防思想的主要内容。海防思想上他主张控制南洋，筹划东海防务，具有了初步的海权意识。他的国防思想贯穿着“勤远略”，“先富而后强”，“国防高于生存”等新的国防价值观。     

胡适受到意象主义影响的史实考察与内涵厘析

关于胡适与意象主义的关系这一课题,历来就有不同观点,胡适曾竭力否认受过意象主义的影响,有一些学者也努力寻找未受影响的论据。我们通过相关的史实考察与内涵厘析可以看出:胡适早年就有取法西方文学从而创造祖国新文学的自觉意识,又曾浸润于美国意象主义新诗运动的氛围之中,熟悉、赞赏并认同意象主义新诗潮,而且在诗歌语言观、意象观、传统观等方面受到了意象主义的显著影响。     

鲁迅的新艺术思想与新文化运动——鲁迅先生诞辰一百二十周年纪念

鲁迅先生是新文化运动的先驱和主将 ,在艺术上也同样有着突出的业绩。他对于传播新的艺术形式不遗余力。他在书籍装帧、木刻、版画、连环画的发展上 ,起到了领航的作用 ,对于钢笔的倡导 ,鲁迅先生也是身体力行。在新的艺术观念上 ,鲁迅先生也同样和谐着新文化运动的节拍 ,指出了一条艺术的新道路     

《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物对身份的寻求

《弗兰肯斯坦》是玛丽·雪莱的代表作，小说中科学家弗兰肯斯坦制造了一个人形怪物，怪物在学习人类语言文化的过程中被语言同化，它希望得到人的身份，改变自己的“怪物”身份。但怪物的努力并不能改变它被指定的身份和命运。怪物最终接受了自己的身份成为与人类为敌的“怪物”。怪物的身体和它的罪行都是人类的创造物。     

宋衷略考(一)

宋衷是汉末三国大儒,为刘表用为荆州五业从事,应是荆州官学的主持者之一,并亲自教学,弟子多人,他与当时士人也有不少交流。荆州降曹后入魏,事迹不显,后坐魏讽谋反案被诛。除编定章句外,他自己著作不少,证明他学问博通,今仅存佚文,包括《周易注》等,尚可借此略窥其学术旨趣。