Galilée, de l’Enfer de Dante au purgatoire de la science

En 1587, le jeune Galilée est invité à donner Due lezioni all’Accademia Fiorentina circa la figura, sito e grandezza dell’Inferno di Dante (ci-après Leçons sur l’Enfer) [Galilei 1587] afin d’éclairer une vive controverse sur l’interprétation de la géographie de l’Enfer dantesque. Ce travail d’exégèse littéraire permet à Galilée de faire reconnaître ses talents mathématiques comme ses qualités pédagogiques. Mais la portée de ces leçons va bien au-delà, car on peut y voir apparaître plusieurs thèmes majeurs de l’œuvre ultérieure de Galilée : au plan mathématique, l’importance de la géométrie d’inspiration archimédienne, au plan physique, l’étude des questions de similitude que pose la résistance des matériaux – sans oublier l’intérêt constant du scientifique pour la langue et pour la culture littéraire.In 1587 the young Galileo was invited to give Due lezioni all’Accademia Fiorentina circa la figura, sito e grandezza dell’Inferno di Dante (hereafter Leçons sur l’Enfer) [Galilei 1587] aimed at settling an intense controversy regarding the geography of the Dantean Hell. This study in exegetics enabled Galileo to bring his mathematical talents and didactic qualities to the knowledge of the Tuscan scholars. But these lessons have a much greater importance, in that they reveal several of the major themes of Galileo’s further work from both mathematical and physical standpoints, such as the question of scale linked to the strength of materials, as well as the scientist’s unremitting interest in language and commitment to literary culture

Galilée, de l’Enfer de Dante au purgatoire de la science

En 1587, le jeune Galilée est invité à donner Due lezioni all’Accademia Fiorentina circa la figura, sito e grandezza dell’Inferno di Dante (ci-après Leçons sur l’Enfer) [Galilei 1587] afin d’éclairer une vive controverse sur l’interprétation de la géographie de l’Enfer dantesque. Ce travail d’exégèse littéraire permet à Galilée de faire reconnaître ses talents mathématiques comme ses qualités pédagogiques. Mais la portée de ces leçons va bien au-delà, car on peut y voir apparaître plusieurs thèmes majeurs de l’œuvre ultérieure de Galilée : au plan mathématique, l’importance de la géométrie d’inspiration archimédienne, au plan physique, l’étude des questions de similitude que pose la résistance des matériaux – sans oublier l’intérêt constant du scientifique pour la langue et pour la culture littéraire.In 1587 the young Galileo was invited to give Due lezioni all’Accademia Fiorentina circa la figura, sito e grandezza dell’Inferno di Dante (hereafter Leçons sur l’Enfer) [Galilei 1587] aimed at settling an intense controversy regarding the geography of the Dantean Hell. This study in exegetics enabled Galileo to bring his mathematical talents and didactic qualities to the knowledge of the Tuscan scholars. But these lessons have a much greater importance, in that they reveal several of the major themes of Galileo’s further work from both mathematical and physical standpoints, such as the question of scale linked to the strength of materials, as well as the scientist’s unremitting interest in language and commitment to literary culture

Testing Hall-Post Inequalities With Exactly Solvable N-Body Problems

The Hall--Post inequalities provide lower bounds on $N$-body energies in terms of $N'$-body energies with $N'<N$. They are rewritten and generalized to be tested with exactly-solvable models of Calogero-Sutherland type in one and higher dimensions. The bound for $N$ spinless fermions in one dimension is better saturated at large coupling than for noninteracting fermions in an oscillatorComment: 7 pages, Latex2e, 2 .eps figure

New Lower Bound on Fermion Binding Energies

We derive a new lower bound for the ground state energy $E^{\rm F}(N,S)$ of N fermions with total spin S in terms of binding energies $E^{\rm F}(N-1,S \pm 1/2)$ of (N-1) fermions. Numerical examples are provided for some simple short-range or confining potentials.Comment: 4 pages, 1 eps figur

Una cultura sin cultura: reflexiones críticas sobre la cultura científica

The current situation of disenchantment and loss of credit about science, which undermines its politic and economic support as well as its intellectual and cultural reputation, gives rise to a series of claims from the scientists. They pose their complaints both to the politicians and the lay public, who would have been won by a wave of anti-science and irrationalism. The underlying idea is that if science isn't supported it is because it isn't understood; consequently, there is a claim to the media, the education system and the researchers for them to make an effort in order to popularize knowledge to the public. This article poses that, however, it should be the idea that there are, on one hand, laymen and, on the other hand, those who own knowledge: on the contrary, scientific knowledge is limited and its validity is narrowly marked. This is the reason why there isn't a real scientific culture. In order to correct this situation, it is necessary to reintroduce science in culture, through a deep modification of the scientific activity and the formation of its professionals, that in both cases should include elements for the understanding of the history of science and its philosophic, sociologic and economic aspects.El actual panorama de decepción y descrédito en torno de la ciencia, que socava tanto su apoyo político y económico como su reputación intelectual y cultural, da lugar a una serie de quejas por parte de los científicos. Éstos lanzan sus reclamos tanto contra los dirigentes políticos como contra el público de legos, que habrían sido ganados por una ola anticientífica g irracionalista. La idea subyacente es que si la ciencia no es apoyada es porque no se la comprende, y en este sentido se demanda a los medios, el sistema educativo y los propios investigadores que se esfuercen por difundir los conocimientos hacia el público. Este artículo sostiene que, sin embargo, debe abandonarse la concepción de que existen por un lado los legos y por el otro los poseedores del saber: los conocimientos de los científicos son limitados y su validez está estrechamente circunscripta. Esto da lugar a que no exista realmente una cultura científica. Para subsanar esta situación es necesario reinsertar la ciencia en la cultura, a través de una modificación profunda de la actividad científica y de la formación de sus profesionales, que incluya para ambos casos los elementos para la comprensión de la historia de Ias ciencias y sus aspectos filosóficos, sociológicos y económicos

Les impressions d’un inventeur

National audienceNous sommes heureux d’offrir aujourd’hui à nos lecteurs ces notes de travail, témoignage irremplaçable sur une innovation capitale