Laws aren't what theories want to be when they grow up.
Laws are empirical generalizations (generalized observations). They simply state what a phenomenon is.
Theories are an explanatory framework supported by a body of knowledge that included tests and observations that have no contradictory observations. A theory would explain why a law exists.
To be fair, this is a common belief, even I had a belief in this framework a few years ago before I heard you and a few others talking about it.
However, and you have in the past, but you should probably get used to explaining this at least once a year, or once in each big science thread. Cause, there will always be someone asking this question, or moving the thread through their misunderstanding to it.
Not that it's a bad thing, it should be encouraged in fact. More people should be open and asking questions, or ready to engage in debate even though they're not sure on all the points. Sure a heck of a lot better than people not open to exploring their ideas, or worse, not even caring about it.
It just gets a little repetitive.
I love the way you put it this time. The bolded part.
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Laws are empirical generalizations (generalized observations). They simply define in a general way what a phenomenon is (F=G*m1*m2/r^2).
Theories are an explanatory framework supported by a body of knowledge that included tests and observations that have no contradictory observations. A theory would explain why a law exists.
Newton's law of universal gravitation states that point masses attract each other with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the the square of the distance between them. This is just a generalization of empirical observations, it's a formula to calculate what the force would be, but it doesn't say why matter has mass, why the proportion is the product of the two masses or why the square of the distance matters.
Einsteins theory of gravity explains the law (well not really, because Newton's gravity only works in flat space and low speeds, so it constrains the law as well showing the law is only valid in some circumstances not all). GR says why masses attract each other.
That's also a good example of science being "wrong" (if you haven't already read that Asimov article I linked), Newton was "wrong", but there you can't just throw Newton away because his gravity still works under all the conditions when he formulated it. Newton's formula is still used to send probes to the solar system, GR is unnecessary in those conditions.
If it makes you happier, you are travelling faster than light right now in a sense; the distance between you and the galaxies at the other side of the observable universe is increasing faster than light speed. But that's because space itself is increasing, you haven't accelerated to or beyond the speed of light in a co-moving reference frame of that and our galaxy.
I'll bet you'd be a fun guy to smoke a massive spliff with I could read stuff like this all day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daradon
Of course, we see this all the time when people wanna debate the theory of evolution.
Oh I'd like to go there....but that's another thread.
Last edited by GoinAllTheWay; 05-10-2013 at 04:43 PM.
I don't know about all the alien species and UFO related stuff that Paul Hellyer was talking about but I think his suggestions that US agencies have either mastered, or have significantly more knowledge about, 'zero point energy' and fusion are subjects that could benefit from more transparency.
Every once in a while secret technology seeps into the public domain (i.e. stealth war planes and more recently the helicopter that crashed on the Bin Laden raid) and the 'groundless speculation' of many individuals and groups is often confirmed.
The US have no interest in energy sources that are cheap and efficient. There's way too much money and power tied up in the status quo so I wouldn't be surprised if significant strides in these areas are being repressed.
I don't know about all the alien species and UFO related stuff that Paul Hellyer was talking about but I think his suggestions that US agencies have either mastered, or have significantly more knowledge about, 'zero point energy' and fusion are subjects that could benefit from more transparency.
Every once in a while secret technology seeps into the public domain (i.e. stealth war planes and more recently the helicopter that crashed on the Bin Laden raid) and the 'groundless speculation' of many individuals and groups is often confirmed.
The US have no interest in energy sources that are cheap and efficient. There's way too much money and power tied up in the status quo so I wouldn't be surprised if significant strides in these areas are being repressed.
Stealth technology has been around since the 40's but only became something validated when manufacturing was married to computer design and precision engineering.
there's no conspiracy why military advances take time to float over to civilian application
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The closer we get to Ceres, the more intriguing the distant dwarf planet becomes. New images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft provide more clues about its mysterious bright spots, and also reveal a pyramid-shaped peak towering over a relatively flat landscape.
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The closer we get to Ceres, the more intriguing the distant dwarf planet becomes. New images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft provide more clues about its mysterious bright spots, and also reveal a pyramid-shaped peak towering over a relatively flat landscape.
Pyramids you say?
Spoiler!
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The closer we get to Ceres, the more intriguing the distant dwarf planet becomes. New images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft provide more clues about its mysterious bright spots, and also reveal a pyramid-shaped peak towering over a relatively flat landscape.
So what you are seeing is sunlight reflecting off ice crystal faces that are constantly being oriented by the developing electric field just above the [cumulonimbus] top. Then there is a discharge in the cloud, and the field collapses momentarily, and the crystals begin to realign again. Then this just keeps happening over and over."
Last edited by Knut; 06-22-2015 at 11:56 AM.
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Cause, there will always be someone asking this question, or moving the thread through their misunderstanding to it.
