Brownian Motion and Molecular Reality: A Study in Theory-Mediated Measurement 2020008760, 2020008761, 9780190098025, 9780190098049

Table of contents :
Cover
Series
Brownian Motion and Molecular Reality
Copyright
Contents
Preface
Bibliographical Notice
1. Introduction
1.1. Brownian Motion and Molecular Reality: The “Lore”
1.2. Two Issues
1.3. Challenges to Our Second Issue
1.4. Why Focus So Narrowly on Perrin?
1.5. Organization of the Monograph
2. The Historical Background: Molecular Theory as of 1900
2.1. On the “Hypothetical” Status of the Molecular Hypothesis
2.2. Kinetic Theory as a Means of Gaining Access to Molecules
2.3. The Problem Posed by the Specific Heats of Gases
2.4. Ostwald on How a Hypothesis Can Become Something More
2.5. A Further Dimension of the Dispute over Molecular-​Kinetic Theory
2.6. A Major Development in Support of the Molecular Hypothesis
2.7. Ions in Solutions: van’t Hoff, Arrhenius, Ostwald, and Nernst
2.8. By What Authority Still Only a Hypothesis?
3. The Historical Background: Brownian Motion as of 1905
3.1. The Promise of Brownian Motion
3.2. Measuring Granular Velocities: A Failure in Experimentation
3.3. Explaining Granular Velocities: A Failure in Theory-​Mediation
3.4. The Problem Reconsidered; The Promise Delivered
3.5. The History in Retrospect
4. Perrin’s Brownian Motion Experiments
4.1. Some Preliminaries
4.2. Perrin’s Vertical-​Gradient Experiments
4.3. Perrin’s Vertical-​Gradient Results Re-​Examined
4.4. Perrin’s Granule-​Displacement Experiments: The Two Measures
4.5. Perrin’s Granule-​Displacement Experiments: Displacement Results
4.6. Perrin’s Granule-​Displacement Experiments: Diffusion Results
4.7. Perrin’s Granule-​Rotation Experiments
4.8. The Three Different Types of Experiment, Taken Together
4.9. Some Remarks about “Well-​Behaved” Theory-​Mediated Measurements
4.10. A Critical Assessment of Perrin’s Results at the Time
5. Implications for Molecular-​Kinetic Theory
5.1. Testing Molecular-​Kinetic Theory: The Kinetic Energy “Test”
5.2. Testing Molecular-​Kinetic Theory: Other “Tests”
5.3. Grounding Molecular-​Kinetic Theory
5.4. Parallels with Molecular-​Kinetic Theory
5.5. Continuity with Molecular-​Kinetic Theory
5.6. Continuity from Granule to Liquid Substrate
5.7. A Brief Recap
6. Converging Values for Avogadro’s Number: Perrin’s Comparisons
6.1. Some Historical Background
6.2. What Agreeing Measurements?
6.3. Perrin’s Comparisons, Individually
6.4. Perrin on the N0 Values ≤ 62 × 1022
6.5. Perrin’s Comparisons, Collectively
6.6. “Les preuves de la réalité moléculaire”?
6.7. On Eliminating All Reference to the Invisible
6.8. A Parting Comment, Regarding réalité moléculaire
7. Our Initial Issues, Revisited
7.1. Conclusions Established about Brownian Motion
7.2. Perrin’s Contribution to the New Standing
7.3. The New Standing of Molecular-​Kinetic Theory: Ostwald’s “Conversion”
7.4. The New Standing of Molecular-​Kinetic Theory: Post-​Solvay
7.5. On the Standing of Hypotheses
7.6. 1905–​1913 within the History of Theory-​Mediated Measurement
Postscript on the Realism-​Instrumentalism Debate
P.1. On the Scientific Literature
P.2. On Some Key Distinctions
P.3. On What Has Claim to Being Permanent
Appendix: On Ostwald (1889–​1890), Nernst (1893), and Meyer (1899)
Glossary
Bibliography
Index