Poetry of Physics and the Physics of Poetry

Physics of the Ancient Greek Era 25

24 The Poetry of Physics and The Physics of Poetry

They believed that numbers were the basic stuff of the universe and that

harmony controlled both the physical universe and the human soul.

Their belief in the power of numbers has been realized to the extent

that almost all the phenomena described by physics is expressed in terms

of mathematical equations. Their mystical approach to numbers would

not have uncovered these laws, however. More than a consideration of

numbers was required. Our knowledge of physics was not just arrived at

using logic; observation of and experimentation in the physical world

were also required. The Pythagorean infatuation with numbers can be

easily understood however, when one realizes that with their discoveries

regarding harmony, they were the very first to find such a dramatic

connection between numbers and nature.

Despite their strong theoretical bias as illustrated by the Pythagoreans

belief in numbers the Greeks also had a strong empirical tradition. This

tradition was begun by Thales the very man who introduced deductive

geometry into Greek thought. Thales and his Ionian followers are

considered to be the world's very first physicists and philosophers. Their

careful observations of nature led them to a number of conclusions held

today. They believed that change and movement are caused by physical

forces, that it is possible to have a void, that ice, water and steam are

three different phases of water and that the changes from one phase to

another are caused by condensation and rarefaction. They believed in the

conservation of matter, which proved to be such an important assumption

for the development of chemistry and was only recently shown not to be

the case for the nuclear reactions of fission and fusion in which mass is

destroyed and converted into energy.

c a2 + b2 = c2^222

b

a

Fig. 4.1. Pythagorean Theorem

They believed that numbers were the basic stuff of the universe and that
harmony controlled both the physical universe and the human soul.
Their belief in the power of numbers has been realized to the extent
that almost all the phenomena described by physics is expressed in terms
of mathematical equations. Their mystical approach to numbers would
not have uncovered these laws, however. More than a consideration of
numbers was required. Our knowledge of physics was not just arrived at
using logic; observation of and experimentation in the physical world
were also required. The Pythagorean infatuation with numbers can be
easily understood however, when one realizes that with their discoveries
regarding harmony, they were the very first to find such a dramatic
connection between numbers and nature.
Despite their strong theoretical bias as illustrated by the Pythagoreans
belief in numbers the Greeks also had a strong empirical tradition. This
tradition was begun by Thales the very man who introduced deductive
geometry into Greek thought. Thales and his Ionian followers are
considered to be the world’s very first physicists and philosophers. Their
careful observations of nature led them to a number of conclusions held
today. They believed that change and movement are caused by physical
forces, that it is possible to have a void, that ice, water and steam are
three different phases of water and that the changes from one phase to
another are caused by condensation and rarefaction. They believed in the
conservation of matter, which proved to be such an important assumption
for the development of chemistry and was only recently shown not to be
the case for the nuclear reactions of fission and fusion in which mass is
destroyed and converted into energy.
Anaxagoras on the basis of his investigation of a meteorite concluded
that the heavenly bodies are composed of rocks. This idea was extremely
revolutionary because it was the common belief that the heavenly bodies