Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Examples of the Zeroth Theorem of the History of Science

Journal Article · · American Journal of Physics
OSTI ID:929336
The zeroth theorem of the history of science, enunciated byE. P. Fischer, states that a discovery (rule,regularity, insight) namedafter someone (often) did not originate with that person. I present fiveexamples from physics: the Lorentz condition partial muAmu = 0 definingthe Lorentz gauge of the electromagnetic potentials; the Dirac deltafunction, delta(x); the Schumann resonances of the earth-ionospherecavity; the Weizsacker-Williams method of virtual quanta; the BMTequation of spin dynamics. I give illustrated thumbnail sketches of boththe true and reputed discoverers and quote from their "discovery"publications.
Research Organization:
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Director. Office of Science. High EnergyPhysics
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
929336
Report Number(s):
LBNL--63374
Journal Information:
American Journal of Physics, Journal Name: American Journal of Physics Journal Issue: 0 Vol. 0; ISSN AJPIAS; ISSN 0002-9505
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

ZEROTH LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
Journal Article · Tue Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1961 · American Journal of Physics (U.S.) · OSTI ID:4083639

Multiple nucleon knockout by Coulomb dissociation in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
Technical Report · Mon Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1988 · OSTI ID:6859115

Electromagnetic dissociation effects in galactic heavy-ion fragmentation
Technical Report · Fri Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1986 · OSTI ID:5734249