Atmospheric noise & fair coin flipping

[Major Variola (ret)]

At 01:50 AM 7/16/02 -0700, gfgs pedo wrote:

>>The rules of physics are those that don't change
>> from time to time, or
>> place to place
>
>i tend to disagree with this.

...

>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.

Certainly.  Newton *replaced* dead-greek 'physics' but
Newton was *subsumed* (ie compatibly refined) by Einstein.
If e.g., you could determine that the gravitational constant
varies with time, that would have to be added to the model.


>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?

We can't say that; but we can only operate as if they
were constant.

If the laws of physics vary with distance from Sol,
for instance, astrophysicists are *fucked*


>If a new parameter ever gets added may be two bodies
>with mass may repell each other.

If evidence supports this then sure, a new quality/quantity may
be introduced.  Does dark matter have spin :-)

>can we say that these parameters will never change?

No, but without evidence that they do, Mr. Occam (who
had to leave his razor at the security checkpoint)
suggests minimizing the number of free variables and trying to work
with an assumption of constancy as much as possible.