Jocular Physics: A Tribute to Bohr in Humor

ORAL

Abstract

Copenhagen, starting in the 1920s and 1930s and continuing after the Second World War, was not just a center for extraordinary developments in quantum and nuclear physics; it also provided a perfect stage for physicists' abundant humor. We will examine the Journal of Jocular Physics, a humorous tribute to Bohr published on the occasions of his 50$^{th}$, 60$^{th}$ and 70$^{th}$ birthdays. We will discuss how the articles in the journal reflected attempts by the contributors, such as L\'{e}on Rosenfeld, Victor Weisskopf and others, to interpret and explain aspects of Bohr's philosophy, such as complementarity and the abandonment of pure Laplacian determinism.

Authors

  • Paul Halpern

    University of the Sciences in Philadelphia