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From: myers@tybalt.caltech.edu (Bob Myers)
Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: Submission for sci.philosophy.tech (Re: Scientific Epistemology)
Message-ID: <3533@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: Sat, 8-Aug-87 20:39:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: cit-vax.3533
Posted: Sat Aug  8 20:39:36 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Aug-87 12:49:22 EDT
References: <120@snark.UUCP>
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Reply-To: myers@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Bob Myers)
Organization: California Institute of Technology
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In article <120@snark.UUCP> eric@snark.UUCP (Eric S. Raymond) writes:
> It's the confirmation-by-experience that *simple* F=ma can be used
>to predict the *complex* behavior of the falling rock that's the real
>"knowledge" here; F=ma is just marks on paper. Mathematics by itself is a
>zero-content system, both literally and figuratively meaningless (but fun!).
>The mapping is 'beautiful' only because it's now part of your intuition; was
>it 'beautiful' to you while you were struggling to understand dx/dt?

Yes, actually. You don't need to completely understand the mathematics
to appreciate the beauty. All you need is an intuitive understanding.
I don't understand General Relativity, but I can appreciate the
beauty of a geometrical interpretation of gravity.

>No? I didn't think so...and it remains un-`beautiful' to people who don't
>grok elementary physics at least in Newtonian approximation.

Only if they don't understand what the symbols stand for on any level.
It's not terribly hard to explain F=ma on an intuitive level. Sure,
as long as it's just marks on a piece of paper, it's not beautiful.
(Calligraphy aside! :-) )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
		Well if that's the best there is
		 Then I won't buy it
		Well if that's the only game
		 Then I won't play

Bob Myers                                         myers@tybalt.caltech.edu
			 {rutgers,amdahl}!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!myers