Ettore Majorana's Inaugural Lecture on Theoretical Physics (Naples, Italy; Jan.13, 1938)

TL;DR

This paper presents the notes and comments on Ettore Majorana's inaugural lecture on theoretical physics, highlighting his scientific insights and pedagogical approach, published for the centenary of his birth.

Contribution

It makes known Majorana's inaugural lecture notes and comments, providing insights into his scientific and teaching philosophy, which were previously unpublished.

Findings

Majorana's interest in effective teaching methods

His scientific insights on classical and quantum physics

Historical context of his academic recognition

Abstract

Ettore Majorana was a member of Enrico Fermi's research group in Rome, Italy. Fermi did regard Majorana as much brihter than himself as far as theoretical physics was concerned (more information can be found particularly in the arXives' e-print physics/9810023, in Italian, and refs therein, and also in the recent multilanguage arXiv:0708.2855v1 [physics.hist-ph]). In 1937 Majorana partecipated in the national Italian competition, for a chair in theoretical phyics, requested by Emilio Segre' at that time at Palermo University: Other competitors being GC.Wick, G.Racah, and G.Gentile jr. After a proposal of the judging Commette, chaired by E.Fermi, Majorana got a full-professorship at Naples University, for exceptional scientific merits, outside the competition normal procedures. In this e-print we make known the notes prepared by Majorana for his Inaugural Lecture (and discovered long ago, in 1973, by one of the present editors (ER)),together with some comments of ours: everything being both in English (first article) and in Italian (second article, with a short Bibliography at its end). The present articles have been prepared on the occasion of the Centenary (2006) of Majorana's birth. The preliminary notes for his Inaugural Lecture reveal Majorana's interest not only for scientific research, but also for the best didactical methods to be followed in order to teach classical and quantum physics in the most effective way (while his approach to Special Relativity is known to us from his lecture notes, published elesewhere). P.S.: Il Riassunto in Italiano appare all'inizio della versione italiana.