What's The Difference (1 Viewer)

serge

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hey everyone

what's the difference between these two dot points

"discuss the relationship between theory and evidence"

and

"discuss the relationship between thought and reality"

any ideas?
 

Captain Gh3y

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Theory and evidence is about not being able to accept a theory until there's experimental evidence to back it up. For example, the Aether theory was accepted, until experimental attempts to find it (eg. MM experiment) repeatedly failed. Then you have Einstein's theory of relativity, which at the time it was 'invented' couldn't be tested, so other physicists of the time were hesitant to accept it.
Eventually when we had technology like jets and atomic clocks, detectors for muons, particle accelerators, etc. we could test Einstein's theory, so now it's been accepted and there's no need for the aether.

The other one is about Einstein's thought experiments; they are valid and logical, but limited because they don't reflect something that 's possible in reality. Eg. the one about the light in the train, it's not really possible to have a train going at .9c, or to have someone able to observe the train if it were going that fast.
 
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spank_meh

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haha serge even better one well the only thing i can say is THANK U DUDE Captain Gh3y for explaining the thing so good coz now i actually get the thing completely :D almost forgot thnx for posting the
if you want one more explanation
in the other thread
buhbye
 

helper

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Not having a go Captain, as what you have written is one explanation I have read. Sadly until it is examined I do not think it is going to be clear what is meant by the thought and reality point.

The reason why I question it, is that in this interpretation, you are really saying that reality is being tested by thought and that is really the same as the theory and evidence point. To accept Einstein's theory experimental evidence is needed, because it wasn't practical to do that, they had to test it by thought experiments.

The second explanation that I have heard and would suggest you add is:
Our view of reality is based on our experiences. We make observations and take them to be reality. However, as shown in Einstein's thought experiments, what we normally take to be reality may not be reality but our thoughts. Eg Time, Length and distance are not constant, which is what our reality has told us. So a thought process can show us that reality is not always what we observe.
 

Abtari

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hmmm good point helper.... i just read about that 'second explanation' somewhere too...

:):):)
 

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