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But if we were working entirely from observed measurements, we'd never have discovered relativity. It wasn't evident from the measurements you'd get from normal
by CWuestefeld 11y ago
But if we were working entirely from observed measurements, we'd never have discovered relativity. It wasn't evident from the measurements you'd get from normal experimentation.
I mean, it is possible to measure the effect. But you need to first design the experiment in order to make the measurement. It was necessary for Einstein to sit and think for a long time, to come up with the idea, which others were able to design experiments around.
You can't just say that somebody would have noticed the discrepancy sooner or later. Really, doing experimentation that way is a statistical error, of the sort that's really plaguing the sciences these days.
- sklogic 11y agoAs I explained elsewhere in this thread, the special relativity theory is a direct consequence of all the experimental evidence that existed on the electromagnetic phenomena. Formally merging Maxwell theory with the classical mechanics yields special relativity. General relativity is an application of a well known extrapolation heuristics - the simplest possible generalisation of a model. The other possible generalisations were much more complex, and the nature for some reason tend to favour simplicity, so it was reasonable to go that way (as well as it is very reasonable now to go out and test all the possible extensions of the Standard Model, starting with the simplest ones).