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Aren't most physics equations approximate?
by potatoman22 4y ago
Aren't most physics equations approximate?
- kergonath 4y agoYes, they are in absolute terms. To prove that they are exact we would need to have a complete understanding of the universe, which we do not have. In practical terms, some of them are in the sense that it is impossible to measure their inaccuracy with common equipment and our primitive human senses. In the end, their purpose is to make predictions and help us make sense of what’s around us, they do not need to be exact.
- potatoman22 4y ago“All models are wrong, but some are useful."
- kergonath 4y agoExactly! Also, some are wronger than others.
- fennecs 4y agoYes I would say most of physics we currently can make predictions with are just effective models that are only applicable at some certain scale. Certainly there may be some underlying ideas that get shared around but doing calculations and making predictions is effective.
- amelius 4y agoI think the point is that with conventional equations we can make increasingly better approximations by just using pen and paper, while with these ML methods, you need to train your system ab initio if you want to improve your approximations.
- optimalsolver 4y agoYou can iterate and refine a symbolic regression model to get better and better predictions. You certainly don't need to start from scratch.
- potatoman22 4y agoI don't think one option is inherently better or worse than the other
- mensetmanusman 4y agoThe ones you learn in high school are, but general and special relativity are accurate to trillionths of a percent (their approximations at low speed and without time dilation are the high school equations). We don’t know if they break down, because we have no means of measuring them more accurately on earth with all the statistical fluctuations happening.