Atmospheric noise & fair coin flipping

Mike Rosing eresrch at eskimo.com
Tue Jul 16 07:11:59 PDT 2002


On Tue, 16 Jul 2002, gfgs pedo wrote:

> it was an observation of a physical body,then we make
> a mathametical model of the phenomenon.
> Based on the mathametical model we make laws of
> physics.

Right, but the assumptions of the model are stated up front.

> The mathametical observations rely on the parameters
> that are taken to make the mathametical model.
> if the parameters changes,the mathametical model will
> have to be changed and new laws have to be brought.

Whoa!  You have gone too far here.  The original assumptions
and the original model still hold, what changes are the
assumptions.  You get new models, but that doesn't mean
the old model doesn't work any more - it means you have to
be careful with assumptions.

> with what certainy can we say that additional
> parameters will not be added or removed and that the
> laws of physics will stay true for ever?
> If a new parameter ever gets added may be two bodies
> with mass may repell each other.
> can we say that these parameters will never change?

We can be certain that we will learn more as time goes on.
Our present models work well for the assumptions we make
now, and as time goes on we'll learn how those assumptions
interfere with observations of how nature works.  How we
ask questions determines what kinds of answers we get -
so it's really important to understand the basic assumptions
behind any "law of physics".

Patience, persistence, truth,
Dr. mike






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