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> In fluids, Bernoulli devised experiments to demonstrate to his calculus illiterate colleagues what he had already mathematically proven. Maybe I misunderstoo
by GTP 3y ago
> In fluids, Bernoulli devised experiments to demonstrate to his calculus illiterate colleagues what he had already mathematically proven.
Maybe I misunderstood you, but I have the feeling you're downplaying the importance of experiments in Physics. Once you mathematically prove something, you proved that a statement is true when given a certain set of axioms. This is enough in Mathematics, like your example of the Pythagorean theorem, but it isn't in Physics. The reason being that proving something Mathematically consistent isn't enough to prove that it reflects what happens in the real world. A famous example in pop science of this is string theory.
I also have some doubts about what you say regarding evolution theory, but I'm not familiar whit how biologists verified it. Maybe every time a new fossil is found we can consider it as an experiment that can add a data point in favor or against the theory?
- thsksbd 3y agoIm about to jump in the shower, son cant go inti detail. Just that the best theories in physics, our best foundations, were not made by an incremental tic-toc theory-experiment cycle. There were bursts of genius that eventually got proven. Im reading Truesdell's (America's greatest 20th century physicist?) book now where he goes through the history of fluid mechanics and the paucity of experiments. If I remember ill send you the reference
- hackandthink 3y agoTruesdell is amazing, I like this quote: "The computer: ruin of science and threat to mankind” https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/~ball/Miscelleaneous%20Articles/truesdell.pdf https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/~ball/Miscelleaneous%20Article...
- thsksbd 3y agoHe nailed it for computers
- thsksbd 3y ago"Experience, Theory and Experiment" from 1955 as found in "An Idiot's Fugitive Essay on Science" by Truesdell. Bloody brilliant. 70 years ago he foresaw the problems of modern science.