14,314 research outputs found
Caste, class and profession in old regime France: the French army and the Ségur reform of 1781
No full textFirst published in French in 1974, David D. Bien’s essay on the nature of nobility in old regime France pivoted around the 1781 “Ségur regulation” that required four generations of nobility for most officers entering the army. Once seen as a classic manifestation of the so-called “aristocratic reaction” against commoners, the loi Ségur, in Bien’s deft analysis, instead emerges as a telling sign of tensions within an increasingly divided nobility. While exploding crude myths about class conflict and its causative role in the Revolution, Bien mounts a strong case for viewing eighteenth-century social tensions as the product of professional identity as much as social class. This study is presented here for the first time in English with a short preface by Rafe Blaufarb, and a wide-ranging introduction by Jay M. Smith that places Bien’s work in the wider context of historical thinking over the past half-century on the origins of the French Revolution.Publisher PD
Flight to Mars
No full textCreated by David P. Stern, this set of three web pages provides a calculation of paths, times, and distances for a flight to Mars and back. The author uses a Hohmann transfer ellipse between two circular orbits. This is an example and application of Kepler's Laws, which are explained in related web pages. Only algebra is used with Kepler's laws and the equation for the energy of Kepler motion. This is part of an extensive work, "From Stargazers to Stars that uses space science as an introduction to basic physics principles. Also available in French
“Proven patriots”: the French diplomatic corps, 1789-1799
No full textThis study analyzes a hitherto unexamined group, the French diplomatic corps during the Revolution (1789 to 1799), and focuses on the question of loyalty and conscience. For some diplomats choice was an illusion as their status often determined their fate. Some supported the king and continued to do so in spite of the high cost, often creatively sabotaging the Revolution. Others put nation, as they defined it, above king. Because the definition of loyalty constantly shifted the corps, like the army and the bureaucracy, was periodically purged. Those who had worked for or been sympathetic to the old regime or those who had allied with a certain political faction came under scrutiny. The turmoil in the diplomatic corps not only had international repercussions but also reflects larger societal trends, such as the attack on the aristocracy and the displacement of one elite by another. The French diplomatic corps was thus emblematic of many issues surrounding the revolutionary struggle of this decade.Publisher PD
Introduction to Quantum Physics
No full textAuthored and curated by David P. Stern, this series of eight linked web pages provide a non-mathematical introduction to atomic theory from a historical perspective. The foundations of quantum physics are traced from the discovery of atoms up to quantum tunneling. Other topics include atomic spectra and blackbody radiation. This is part of "From Stargazers to Starships", an extensive web site covering introductory topics in physics and astronomy. Spanish and French translations are available
Introduction to Rotating Frames of Reference
No full textThis web page, authored and curated by David P. Stern, describes forces in rotating frames of reference and the effects of the coriolis and centrifugal forces. A lesson plan is provided for instructors. This web page is part of "From Stargazers to Starships,"an extensive web site about physics and astronomy motivated by the topics of space exploration and space science. Translations in French and Spanish are available
Far-out Pathways to Space
No full textThis is a set of six web pages, authored and curated by David P. Stern, describing four unconventional methods of accelerating spacecraft. These are using cannons, nuclear power, solar sails and ion rockets. Gravity-assist maneuvers near moving planets or moons, is described later in the larger work. This is part of the work "From Stargazers to Starships" that introduces physical concepts using space science and an historical perspective. Translations are available in French, Spanish, and Italian
Dynamos, Magnetic Reversals and Plate Tectonics
No full textThese pages, authored and curated by David P. Stern, describe a dynamo process that creates the magnetic fields of the Earth and the Sun. Flows of electrically conducting material through existing magnetic fields produces electric currents, which maintain the magnetic field. Dynamos in the Earth's core reverse their north-south polarity, a process recorded by sea-floor magnetization, which confirms the slow motion of continents. Includes translations to Spanish, French and German
Orbits in Space: Lagrangian points
No full textAuthored and curated by David P. Stern, these pages explore orbits and the "Lagrangian points", where objects will orbit the sun with the same period as the earth. This has applications for solar monitoring spacecraft. The three sections derive the equilibrium properties of Lagrangian points: the calculations only involve algebra and trig, but are rather lengthy. This is a nice introduction to these rather complex theories of orbits in space. Translations to French and (in part) Spanish are also provided
Work
No full textAuthored and curated by David P. Stern, these web pages introduce the concept of work and its relation to energy. An example of electric work and energy using the example of a Van de Graaff Generator. These pages are part of "From Stargazers to Starships", an extensive web site that introduces topics in physics and astronomy using space exploration and space science. Translations are available in French and Spanish
Nuclear Power
No full textThis site, created by David P. Stern, is an introduction to nuclear fission, its controlled release in power stations, problems of nuclear waste, and nuclear accidents. A linked web page discusses nuclear weapons, their effect, their ban, and "dirty bombs". This material supplements a previous section on fission in the Sun and the curve of binding energy in "From Stargazers to Starships". A French translation also exists
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