Talk:Horror vacui (physics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
WikiProject Physics / Fluid Dynamics  (Rated Start-class, Low-importance)
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Physics, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Physics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.
Start-Class article Start  This article has been rated as Start-Class on the project's quality scale.
 Low  This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
This article is supported by Fluid Dynamics Taskforce.
 
WikiProject Philosophy (Rated Start-class, Low-importance)
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Philosophy, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of content related to philosophy on Wikipedia. If you would like to support the project, please visit the project page, where you can get more details on how you can help, and where you can join the general discussion about philosophy content on Wikipedia.
Start-Class article Start  This article has been rated as Start-Class on the project's quality scale.
 Low  This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
 
WikiProject Non-tropical storms (Rated Start-class, Mid-importance)
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Non-tropical storms, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of worldwide non-tropical storm events on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.
Start-Class article Start  This article has been rated as Start-Class on the quality scale.
 Mid  This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the importance scale.
 
WikiProject Tropical cyclones (Rated Start-class, Mid-importance)
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Tropical cyclones, which collaborates on tropical cyclones and related subjects on Wikipedia. To participate, help improve this article or visit the project page for details.
Start-Class article Start  This article has been rated as Start-Class on the project's quality scale.
 Mid  This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.
 

Really discounted?[edit]

It is my impression that the general principle is still considered valid (and in perfect accordance with observational evidence). The one point of critique would be a fundamental misunderstanding of how sucking works. (Namely, not an active effort by a vacuum, a vacuum cleaner, a straw drinker, ..., but a passive lack of counter-pressure.)

While the interpretation may be less literal today than in ancient Greece, it is still, IMO, a valid principle.

(Unless the article has skipped over some parts of the theory not present in the "common knowledge" interpretation of the phrase.) 188.100.201.34 (talk) 05:44, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Source of Term Horror Vacui[edit]

As far as the attribution of the source for 'horror vacui' (or "nature abhors a vacuum") being Aristotle's Physica Book IV, I have been unable to find it stated anywhere in that book, even as a paraphrase. Book IV does indeed talk about the "void" (i.e. vacuum). But for that matter De Universa Book IV also speaks of the void.

I can only conclude that the term 'horror vacui' and the phrase 'nature abhors a vacuum' are later attributions to Aristotle based on the general topic of void/vacuum, not pulled from the text directly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edwardpiercy (talkcontribs) 17:52, 15 May 2010 (UTC)