Re: Approximating the Universe
- From: Tom Roberts <tjroberts@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 05:23:46 GMT
G=EMC^2 Glazier wrote:
Science is a search for the truth.
No. "Truth" is not possible in science. All we can possibly hope for is improved models and understanding of the models. "Truth" is for theologians and mathematicians.
There are no facts.
This is blatantly false. We have LOTS of expeirments, and they establish facts.
We can only approximate.
Of course the facts established by experiments have errorbars. But your statement implies a much deeper lack that is not applicable.
Thus physics is the science
of "approximations"
Not really. See above.
Don't get me wrong we can make very good
approximation. Good example is the "three body problem" has never been
solved. In QM approximate calculations is the best we
can hope for. Go get the best math nuclear physicist working with
particles to preform an exact calculation on any one of the actions
taking place,and he will tell you it can't be done. He will add the best
hope is to get an approximation that will give a result that fits well
with the experiment. To sum my thoughts up "Scientific Theories
are Approximations"
It is not the theories themselves that are the approximations you mention, it is merely our ability to compute using them.
But we will never know if our theories and models are really what Nature does. All we will ever have is knowledge of how broad the domains of applicability are for our theories, and how accurate they are within those realms. But that is, in truth, what science is actually about -- science is neither math nor theology.
Tom Roberts tjroberts@xxxxxxxxxx .
- References:
- Approximating the Universe
- From: G=EMC^2 Glazier
- Approximating the Universe
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