Back to the roots: the concepts of force and energy Artikel uri icon

Open Access

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Peer Reviewed

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Abstract

  • The concepts of force and energy are analyzed in the context of state and process equations. In chronological order, the application of the cause-effect principle in process equations is studied in mechanics, thermodynamics, special relativity, general relativity, and quantum theory. The differences in the fundamental approaches to nature and the significance of a consistent physical interpretation of formulas and state variables are emphasized. It is shown that the first origins for the crisis of modern theoretical physics are to be found in the concepts of force and energy in mechanics, which partly violate the cause-effect principle. This affects all theories based on mechanics and underlines their historical conditionality. The systematic application of driving forces and the cause-effect principle in process equations suggests a return to causal realistic physics. It meets the wave character of matter, is compatible with the experiment, and allows a unified description of interaction.