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- Title
The Nature of a Constant of Nature: The Case of G.
- Authors
Jacobs, Caspar
- Abstract
Physics presents us with a symphony of natural constants: , ℏ , , and so forth. Up to this point, constants have received comparatively little philosophical attention. In this article, I provide an account of dimensionful constants, in particular the gravitational constant. I propose that they represent interquantity structure in the form of relations between quantities with different dimensions. I use this account of to settle a debate over whether mass scalings are symmetries of Newtonian gravitation. I argue that they are not, but only if we interpret mass anti-quidditistically. This is analogous to anti-haecceitism in the presence of spacetime symmetries.
- Subjects
SPACE-time symmetries; GRAVITATIONAL constant; SYMPHONY
- Publication
Philosophy of Science, 2023, Vol 90, Issue 4, p797
- ISSN
0031-8248
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/psa.2022.96