Carbonaceous materials : the beauty of simplicity

The current mandates of a sustainable society and circular economy lead to the request that materials chemistry, but also chemistry as such, has to become significantly redesigned. Changes include commonplaces as the glassware we use, the minimization of wastes and side products or replacement strategies in the materials choice, among others. In this context, “carbons” are very versatile and already have found their place in a myriad of applications for a “carbon-neutral” society. They already take key enabling positions for sensors and biomaterials preparation, as energy conversion and storage electrode, or as effluent remediation sorbents. Herein, we describe how carbon chemistry can be again re-designed to outperform benchmark materials in a number of fields, especially in energy storage, (electro)catalysis, as sorbent, but also in a new chemistry of the confined state

The Beauty of Understanding: Aesthetic Methods of Theory Evaluation

Philosophers use a variety of methods to evaluate theories, theories that are sources of greater understanding. My dissertation argues that judgments of beauty are a justified part of how we evaluate theories. That is, I argue that beauty is part of what makes a philosophical theory better. I reach this conclusion by analyzing two powerful and popular methods of theory evaluation: reflective equilibrium and simplicity. The literatures on both reflective equilibrium and simplicity clarify how these methods work and why they are justified methods of theory evaluation. But I argue that the going accounts of reflective equilibrium and simplicity have gaps remaining. Both methods rely on judgments that are unexplained. Reflective equilibrium requires judgments of coherence and simplicity requires judgments of simplicity. Yet the going accounts give no explanation of how to make these judgments. I argue that these gaps are best filled by identifying judgments of coherence and judgments of simplicity as species of judgments of beauty. Judgments of coherence and simplicity should be identified as species of judgments of beauty because they share a special character as unprincipled, yet genuine, judgments. That is, all three kinds of judgment are not made by reference to principles, and yet reasonable, nonarbitrary judgments are possible. This identification completes the accounts of reflective equilibrium and simplicity because it explains how we make judgments of coherence and simplicity, despite lacking a principled account of those judgments. This means that two powerful and popular methods of theory evaluation do in fact use judgments of beauty to identify better theories. I conclude by arguing that using judgments of beauty to identify better theories is justified because of the fundamental role these judgments play in guiding theory evaluation

The Importance of Surprise in Mathematical Beauty

Mathematicians, mathematics education researchers, and philosophers have written about mathematical beauty and many of the qualities commonly associated with it, such as simplicity, brevity, enlightenment, etc. One key theme that underlies many of these qualities is surprise or the unexpected. In this article, I discuss the integral role surprise plays in mathematical beauty. Through examples, I argue that simplicity alone is oftentimes not enough for a piece of mathematics to be considered beautiful, but rather it is unexpected simplicity that we seek. I propose, moreover, that surprise is necessary for enlightenment. The paper also reports results from an activity designed to elicit an appreciation of mathematical beauty from elementary preservice teachers; the majority reaction was a feeling of surprise. Understanding the relevance of surprise to mathematical beauty may offer us a feasible way to create opportunities for students to experience mathematical beauty

Volume 34, Number 1 - December 1954

Volume 34, Number 1 - December 1954. 33 pages including covers and advertisements. Editorials Reverend Chu-Công, Joseph, Communists and Christmas in Viet-nam McLarney, James J., Mr. Spindly Tousignant, Louis, The Beauty of Simplicity McLarney, James J., Redress and Grievance McLarney, James J., Ques

Эвристическая роль принципа красоты в науке

В статье анализируется принцип красоты, который играет важную эвристическую роль в науке. Показано, что принцип красоты позволяет «почувствовать» причастность к бытию, вникнуть в сущность исследуемых вещей, выявить соразмерность и симметрию физических теорий.Principle of beauty is in the theory of superstrings. Principle of beauty is analyzed in the article. Principle of beauty plays an important heuristic role. Principle of beauty allows to feel belonging to life, to go deep in essence of the phenomena. He determines simplicity, proportionality and symmetry of theory of superstrings

Gillies \u2783: Love of soccer inspires career and gift to Morris

A bequest to the soccer program reflects his passion for the beauty and the simplicity of the sport

Mathematicians Versus Philosophers in Recent Work on Mathematical Beauty

Recent attempts at defining mathematical beauty fall roughly into two schools of thought. One takes its starting point in the subjective experience of the mathematician and characterises mathematical beauty in cognitive terms. The other seeks to reduce beauty to objective notions such as truth, symmetry, or simplicity. This second approach is popular among analytic philosophers, who are committed to seeing mathematics and science as prototypically rational enterprises. I criticise this stance on the grounds that this commitment makes its supporters approach beauty in mathematics not with a genuine desire to sympathetically understand it, but with the preconceived goal of explaining it away and playing it down

Sculptor

THROUGH his work as artist in residence at Iowa State College, Christian Petersen has, with candor and simplicity, created a permanent monument to the beauty and vitality of the American Mid-West..

Class of Recursive Wideband Digital Differentiators and Integrators

New designs of recursive digital differentiators are obtained by optimizing a general fourth-order recursive digital filter over different Nyquist bands. In addition, another design of recursive digital differentiator is also obtained by optimizing the specified pole-zero locations of existing recursive digital differentiator of second-order system. Further, new designs of recursive digital integrators are obtained by inverting the transfer functions of designed recursive digital differentiators with suitable modifications. Thereafter, the zero-reflection approach is discussed and then applied to improve the phase responses of designed recursive digital differentiators and integrators. The beauty of finally obtained recursive digital differentiators and integrators is that they have nearly linear phase responses over wideband and also provide the choice of suitable recursive digital differentiator and integrator according to the importance of accuracy, bandwidth and the system simplicity