2 ms·

So then, why use that phrase and not a more accurate one?

• DiogenesKynikos 1y ago
  Because it's a widely used phrase that everyone understands. What the "first principles" are for a layperson and a physicist are different, as is the expected level of rigor in the derivations.
  • godelski 1y ago
    > that everyone understands. We wouldn't be having this conversation if this were true
    • DiogenesKynikos 1y ago
      No, we're having this argument because of pedantry, not because someone doesn't understand the term "first principles."