Fascinated with Science: An Aesthetic Overview of Classical Physics

Aesthetic criticism of science is a historically established practice to advance fundamental research, particularly in physics and mathematics. However, it was criticized that many terms currently used for aesthetic criteria are "bounty words that promise some benefit that cannot be controlled or measured." In this book, a theory of aesthetics is formulated based on Genesis 1 and the Book of Changes and applied to analyze classical mechanics, thermodynamics, and electrodynamics. The aesthetic criticism casts new light on the foundation of physics and the internal tension that appeals for their transition to modern physics. Unambiguous rationale for fundamental laws of physics is revealed and rich aesthetic facets are exposed in the structure of theories. For example, each of the three branches of classical physics has four fundamental laws, which are found to be structurally related to each other in the same pattern required by aesthetic principles. The informing power of these aesthetic principles for modern science lies in that they are deeply tethered to the origin of beauty and the way beauty is expressed.

Yufeng Zhao is an associate professor of physics at Corban University at Salem, Oregon, and a scientist working on nanoscience and material science collaborating with Rice University at Houston.