GALILEO, THE PHYSICIST

Categories for the practising physicist

In this chapter we survey some particular topics in category theory in a somewhat unconventional manner. Our main focus will be on monoidal categories, mainly symmetric ones, for which we propose a physical interpretation. Special attention is given to the category of sets and relations, posetal categories, diagrammatic calculi, strictification, compact categories, biproduct categories and abst...

A Call for the Structured Physicist Report.

Introducing categories to the practicing physicist

We argue that category theory should become a part of the daily practice of the physicist, and more specific, the quantum physicist and/or informatician. The reason for this is not that category theory is a better way of doing mathematics, but that monoidal categories constitute the actual algebra of practicing physics. We will not provide rigorous definitions or anything resembling a coherent ...

Editorial: Radiological Emergencies and the Medical Physicist

The events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan prompted an editorial(1) written by Bill Hendee, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Medical Physics, in which he discussed the role of medical physicists as potential volunteers in responding to public health emergencies, especially radiological emergencies of various types. In order to obtain more widespread dissemination of this informatio...

Galileo and the Inquisition

The story of Galileo's encounter with the Inquisition in the early 17th Century continues to be an important part of the story of modernity. Galileo is frequently seen as breaking with the scientific heritage of Aristotle to found a new science of nature and, in the process, he also had to do battle with an entrenched biblical literalism in the Catholic Church. According to the generally accept...