Determinism, chaos, evolution

Lecturer:

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Physics

Synopsis:

The subject deals with broader philosophical connections of these concepts. Necessity and chance in natural processes. Determinism in clasical physics and in the theory of relativity. Statistical physics and thermodynamics. Determinism and probability in quantum physics, quantum information. Information and entropy, irreversibility of natural events. Formation of structures, evolution, life, evolution of man.

Requirements:

Written work of elected topics.

Syllabus of lectures:

1. „Necessity“ and „chance“ in nature, rational way of thinking.

2. Determinism in classical mechanics (Newton, Laplace.).

3. Determinism in spacetime, relativistic paradoxes.

4. Evolution of the Universe, cosmology.

5. Probabilistic description of natural events.

6. Thermodynamics and statistical physics.

7. Deterministic chaos, non-linearities, unpredictability.

8. Natural and real numbers, limits of mathematics.

9. Probabilities in quantum phenomena.

10. Heisenberg relations, quantum paradoxes (EPR.).

11. What is „reality“? Theory of „everything“?

12. Information and entropy time arrow, irreversibility.

13. Algorithmic information content, complexity.

14. Evaluation, „life“, „consciousness“.

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Study materials:

1. Recommended articles from popular and scientific journals. 2. Pigogine I., Stengers I.: Order out of chaos, London 1984.

Note:

Further information:

No time-table has been prepared for this course

The course is a part of the following study plans: