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The growing interaction between traditional knowledge and formal sciences emerges as a relevant field of research. In this perspective, the aim of this article is to investigate the intersections between Physics and traditional knowledge in the ceramics practices of Vila Cuera, in Bragan\c{c}a, state of Para. Using an ethnographic approach, complemented by qualitative analysis, we realize that ceramists use their sensitive intuition and, masterfully, apply thermodynamic principles in the production of handmade ceramics. The results highlight the value of Ethnophysics, underlining that, long before the formal structuring of science as we know it, traditional societies already practiced and understood natural phenomena in tune with contemporary physical principles. We conclude that there is an inherent link between Physics and traditional knowledge with regard to the traditional ceramics practice, grounded on empirical observations and ancestral wisdom, that dialogues with science in a complementary relationship. The study highlights the importance of valuing and recognizing the knowledge of traditional populations by highlighting the knowledge doings of cultures and institutionalized science., Comment: in Portuguese

Traditionally, to be a realist about something means believing in the independent existence of that something. In this line of thought, a scientific realist is someone who believes in the objective existence of the entities postulated by our best scientific theories. In metaphysical terms, what does that mean? In ontological terms, i.e., in terms about what exists, scientific realism can be understood as involving the adoption of an ontology that is scientifically informed. But according to some philosophers, the realistic attitude must go beyond ontology. The way in which this requirement has been understood involves providing a metaphysics for the entities postulated by science, that is, answering questions about the nature of what ontology admits to exist. We discuss how two fashionable approaches face the challenge of providing a metaphysics for science: a form of naturalism and the Viking/Toolbox approach. Finally, we present a third way, which adopts the best of both approaches: the meta-Popperian method, which focuses on discarding the wrong alternatives, or better saying, the metaphysical profiles incompatible with certain theories. We present the meta-Popperian method, a metametaphysical method capable of objectively assessing which metaphysical profiles are incompatible with certain scientific theories. For this, we will use quantum mechanics as a case study, presenting some previously obtained results. As our focus is on methodological questions about the relationship between metaphysics and science; with this method, we can see how science can be used to avoid error in metaphysical issues. In our opinion, this would be a way to develop a productive relationship between science and metaphysics., Comment: In Portuguese. Article accepted for publication in Kriterion, v.63 n.151, 2022. See the final version at

In this work, an attempt is presented to understand the contribution of Galileo Galilei in the field of the History of Ideas, from the moment he points a spyglass to the sky. For that, it was previously necessary that Giotto painting the sky in blue. We reconstruct this fascinating trajectory between the 13th and 17th centuries in Europe, relating different practices and knowledges, as well as discussing the scientific and philosophical thought of that time. The main thesis of this essay is to show that Giotto, who painted the sky blue in a culture that wanted it to be golden, followed a conceptual path very similar to that followed by Galileo centuries later., Comment: 11 figures, in Portuguese language

This book deals with some ontological implications of standard non-relativistic quantum mechanics, and the use of the notion of `consciousness' to solve the measurement problem., Comment: In Portuguese, post peer-review process

The concept of thermal energy was only fully formulated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The search for the understanding of calorific phenomena was what provided the construction and development of the concept of thermal energy. In this work we present the evolution of the concept of heat and thermal energy over time, following a chronological order and the evolution of the ideas and principles in question. For this, a vast bibliographical research on the subject was carried out. The theme has been addressed from the ancient Greek philosophers to the advent of modern physics with the elucidation of the phenomenon of thermal radiation., Comment: in Portuguese

According to scientific realism, science gives us an approximately true description of what the world is like. But what does it mean? In this chapter, we focus on the ontological and metaphysical aspects of this discussion. That is, we are concerned with the following questions: what there is, according to our best scientific theories? And how are these things that theories say exist? We start from the assumption that a genuine scientific realism must deal with these issues. Taking non-relativistic quantum mechanics as a case study, we discuss some of the challenges currently faced by a genuinely realistic stance. We argue, first, that in the ontological aspect, realists are in the same boat as science, that is, without sufficient epistemic justification to adopt the belief in the entities postulated by a single quantum theory, given that experience (currently) is not able to decide between rival theories; in the metaphysical aspect, realists also encounter problems with theory choice, given the possibility of associating more than one metaphysical theory with the description of the entities postulated by each quantum theory. The same goes for structuralist alternatives, since, even if we accept that scientific theories are committed to the existence of structures, but not objects, we still do not know what structures are, metaphysically. Finally, we move forward in the discussion with the meta-Popperian method, which serves to reduce the metaphysical alternatives associated with the ontological postulates of scientific theories. We may not know what the correct alternative is, but we have been able to progressively check which metaphysical alternatives are incompatible with each scientific theory., Comment: 24 pages, in Portuguese. url: https://wp.ufpel.edu.br/nepfil/files/2020/12/pma_v2_sdf.pdf

Em geral, quando a teoria fenomenol\'ogica de Ginzburg-Landau para supercondutores \'e trabalhada, pouco se esclarece aos alunos sobre a origem da mesma. Esta tem como base conceitos termodin\^amicos como fen\^omenos cr\'iticos e transi\c{c}\~oes de fase que, se devidamente tratados, enriquecem de sobremaneira a aula sobre tal assunto. Assim, neste trabalho apresentamos uma sequ\^encia para o desenvolvimento da principal teoria fenomenol\'ogica da supercondutividade. Iniciamos com uma breve introdu\c{c}\~ao aos fen\^omenos cr\'iticos e transi\c{c}\~oes de fase e, ent\~ao, desenvolvemos a teoria de Landau para transi\c{c}\~oes de fase de segunda ordem. Ap\'os isso, expomos a teoria de Ginzburg-Landau, e a teoria de Ginzburg-Landau dependente do tempo. Aplicamos esta \'ultima para o caso de dois sistemas supercondutores mesosc\'opicos, um homog\^eneo e outro com defeitos superficiais. Observa-se que os defeitos interferem de sobremaneira na din\^amica de v\'ortices do sistema. Palavras chave: Ginzburg-Landau, mesosc\'opico, v\'ortice, supercondutor In this work we present a sequence for the development of this major phenomenological theory for superconductors. We will begin with a brief introduction to the criticality and phase transitions phenomena e then we will describe the Landau theory for second order phase transitions. After that, we will introduce the Ginzburg-Landau theory and the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory. As an application of this last one, we will study two mesoscopic systems. One of them a homogeneous sample and the other one a sample with surface defects. We show that the defects strongly influences the vortex dynamics of the system. Keywords: Ginzburg-Landau, mesoscopic, vortex, superconductor, Comment: This paper intends to be a didactic material (in Portuguese) for beginning students. It is constituted by 4 figures and 12 pages

A century after observing the deflection of light emitted by distant stars during the solar eclipse of 1919, it is interesting to know the concepts emerged from the experiment and the theoretical and observational consequences for modern cosmology and astrophysics. In addition to confirming Einstein's gravitational theory, its greatest legacy was the construction of a new research area to cosmos science dubbed gravitational lensing. The formation and magnification of multiple images (mirages) by the gravitational field of a compact or extended lens are among the most striking phenomena of nature. This article presents a pedagogical view of the first genuine gravitational lens effect, the double quasar QSO 0957 + 561. We also describe the formation of rings, giant arcs, arclets and multiple Supernova images. It is also surprising that the Hubble constant and the amount of dark matter in the Universe can be measured by the same technique. Finally, the lensing of gravitational waves, a possible but still not yet detected effect, is also briefly discussed., Comment: 22 pages, 20 figures, in Portuguese

On 1 September 1859, the British astronomer Richard Carrington observed an anomalous behavior on the Sun. Approximately 17 hours later, magnetic effects of global scales were observed at Earth: aurora borealis and australis in low-latitude regions, and telegraphic equipment failures in Europe and North America. Nowadays, 160 years later, we know that solar-terrestrial connections control the magnetic activity in the geospace and on the ground, and their effects are subject of a discipline named {\it space weather}. The main goal of this modest work is to briefly present to the reader Carrington's observations and the discoveries that led to the connection between solar and terrestrial magnetic phenomena. Implications of this discovery to space weather with emphasis on the protection of technological systems in the geospace and on the ground, and a brief discussion on the future of the discipline, are briefly presented as well., Comment: 10 pages, in Portuguese, 4 figures

Within the general discussion of space and its dimensionality, Aristotle's position is of the greatest relevance, as one will have the opportunity to argue and discuss in this article., Comment: 18 pp, in Portuguese

The Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM - Universidade Federal de Santa Maria) has trained more than 600 undergraduate and 200 Ph.D. students, becoming a reference in physics training at the Rio Grande do Sul central region. In this work we present a gender analysis of the UFSM graduated students from both levels. The number of graduated students of the female gender has been rising with time and is significatively bigger than the number observed nationally in both levels. The mean values are 35%, 37%, 28%, 42% e 39% for the courses physics teaching (daytime), physics teaching (nightime), physics, master and doctorate, respectively. We also observe an increase in the participation of female students in graduate courses, when comparing to undergraduate courses, unlike what is observed in the national average numbers. Considering only the last 5 years the number of graduated students reaches 50% in the physics teaching (daytime) and master courses. Although this study is of a local nature, it reinforces the need for the dissemination of data regarding the gender of graduates by all universities, allowing to conduct general gender studies., Comment: Main text in Portuguese; Published in Ci\^encia e Natura (https://periodicos.ufsm.br/cienciaenatura/article/view/31793)

This is a translation from Latin to Portuguese of Euler's 'Attempt at a theory of the friction of fluids'. According to the records, a treatise by Euler with the title 'Tentamen theoriae de frictione fluidorum' was presented to the St. Petersburg Academy on June 17, 1754, and perhaps was read to the Berlin Academy on December 2, 1751. In this treatise, Euler assumes that as for the solid friction, the fluid friction is proportional to the applied normal force. A detailed development of five different problems of discharge are presented in his treatise, taking into account the loss of head in the conduits. In the appendix, an example is given for the calculation of the jet heights of a particular fountain, fed with conduits of different amplitudes., Comment: The original manuscript and this translation is also available at http://eulerarchive.maa.org/ , in Portuguese

We are experiencing a period of extreme intellectual effervescence in the area of cosmology. A huge volume of observational data in unprecedented quantity and quality and a more consistent theoretical framework propelled cosmology to an era of precision, turning the discipline into a cutting-edge area of contemporary science. Observations with type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia), showed that the expanding Universe is accelerating, an unexplained fact in the traditional decelerated model. Identifying the cause of this acceleration is the most fundamental problem in the area. As in the scientific renaissance, the solution will guide the course of the discipline in the near future and the possible answers (whether dark energy, some extension of general relativity or a still unknown mechanism) should also leverage the development of physics. In this context, without giving up a pedagogical approach, we present an overview of both the main theoretical results and the most significant observational discoveries of cosmology in the last 100 years. The saga of cosmology will be presented in a trilogy. In this article (Part I), based on the articles by Einstein, de Sitter, Friedmann, Lema\^itre and Hubble, we will describe the period between the origins of cosmology and the discovery of Universal expansion (1929). In Part II, we will see the period from 1930 to 1997, closing with the old standard decelerated model. The Part III will be entirely devoted to the accelerated model of the universe, the cosmic paradigm of the XXI century., Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. To appear in Revista Brasileira de Ensino de F\'isica (in Portuguese)

A hundred years ago, the quantum concept provoked a revolution in science and the search of a new conceptual basis for whole physics, as emphasized by Einstein. In this paper, I discuss the essential features of Planck's works in 1900 on the blackbody radiation and the hypothesis of energy quantization., Comment: Text in Portuguese, 13 pages, 5 figures

The article is an historical overview of some of the major contributions from different areas of Science with which, for centuries, it has been built up a scientific, sound and consistent vision of the atom. Some experiments that led us to a number of evidence about the composite nature of the atom are highlighted., Comment: 14 pages, in Portuguese

In this work we have carried out an approach between the nonsingular scientific cosmologies (without the initial singularity, the big bang), specially the cyclic models, and the Nietzsche's thought of the eternal recurrence. Moreover, we have pointed out reasons for the Nietzsche's search for scientific proofs about the eternal recurrence in the decade of 1880's., Comment: 14 pages, published in "Cadernos Nietzsche", text in Portuguese

In the Nietzschean philosophy, the concept of force from physics is important to build one of its main concepts: the will to power. The concept of force, which Nietzsche found out in the Classical Mechanics, almost disappears in the physics of the XX century with the Quantum Field Theory and General Relativity. Is the Nietzschean world as contending forces, a Dionysian cosmology, possible in the current science?, Comment: 11 pages, published in "Cadernos Nietzsche", text in Portuguese

Metascientific criteria used for explaining or constraining physical space dimensionality and their historical relationship to prevailing causal systems are discussed. The important contributions by Aristotle, Kant and Ehrenfest to the dimensionality of space problem are considered and shown to be grounded on different causal explanations: {\it causa materialis} for Aristotle, {\it causa efficiens} for young Kant and an ingenious combination of {\it causa efficiens} and {\it causa formalis} for Ehrenfest. The prominent and growing r\^ole played by {\it causa formalis} in modern physical approaches to this problem is emphasized., Comment: 15 pages, in portuguese

Many introductory articles and books about nanotechnology have been written to disseminate this apparently new technology, which investigate and manipulates matter at dimension of a billionth of a meter. However, these texts show in general a common feature: there is very little about the origins of this multidisciplinary field. If anything is mentioned at all, a few dates, facts and characters are reinforced, which under the scrutiny of a careful historical digging do not sustain as really founding landmarks of the field. Nevertheless, in spite of these flaws, such historical narratives bring up important elements to understand and contextualize this human endeavor, as well as the corresponding dissemination among the public: would nanotechnology be a cultural imperative?, Comment: Originally published in Portuguese as a diffusion of Science article

In this article, we present new comments to the article On Kant's First Insight Into The Problem of Space Dimensionality and Its Physical Foundations. In particular, we discuss how the space concept is designed in the first writing of Kant. In this work, dated 1747, the young Kant proposes to discuss how we can justify the three-dimensionality of space . Although he explicitly anticipates that this will demonstrate throughout the text, in fact, he merely relate the dimensionality of the extension to the law of gravitation. Anyway, this speculation went beyond Kant's Philosophy and had impact on the modern discussion about dimensionality of space. Indeed, from the point of view of physics, Kant's conjecture can be understood in the context of formulation of classical fields of Newtonian theory of gravitation. However, some philosophical points that led the young Kant did not succeed in proving the three-dimensional nature of space still deserve attention. This article is aimed to discuss them., Comment: 8 pages, in Portuguese

Some ideas aimed to understand that time is one-dimensional are briefly reviewed. Some attempts to construct theories in varieties with more spatial and temporal components are presented. It is discussed, from the epistemological point of view, which path can be taken to try to "prove" the one-dimensionality of time (or the three-dimensionality of space) from these generalized theories., Comment: In portuguese, 10 p

Enrico Fermi was one of the greater physicists of the XX century. In 1934, he gave several lectures in Brazil. Invited by Theodoro Ramos to work in S\~ao Paulo, he preferred to stay in Rome and went to the USA in 1938. However, Fermi recommended Gleb Wataghin to come in his place. Wataghin made history in Brazil, becoming one of the first Professors of the future S\~ao Paulo University. Besides his relevance to the History of Science, Fermi eventually leaved an indelible mark on the creation and institutionalization of national scientific research due to the indication of Wataghin. Despite this fact, very little is known about Fermi's trip to Brazil. This work tries to reconstruct the fullest possible steps of the famous Italian physicist in our lands., Comment: 13 p, in Portuguese. Accepted for publication in Estudos Avan\c{c}ados da USP

Scientific education and divulgation not only amplify people's vocabulary and repertory of scientific concepts but, at the same time, promote the diffusion of certain conceptual and cognitive metaphors. Here we make some hypothesis about this process, proposing a classification in terms of visible, invisible, basic and derived metaphors. We focus our attention in contemporary and classical physics metaphors applied to psychological and socio-economical phenomena, and we study two exemplar cases through an exhaustive exam of the online content of large Brazilian journalistic portals. Finally, we present implications and suggestions from the cognitive metaphor theory for the scientific education and divulgation process., Comment: In portuguese, 20 pages, 2 figures, new version submitted to RBEF