Re: Physics is beautiful

From	Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	sci.physics
Subject	Re: Physics is beautiful
Date	2017-07-31 10:28 -0500
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<olnibc$1a7d$1@gioia.aioe.org> (permalink)
References	<20abfc56-2309-45f5-8c5a-73a25f79f698@googlegroups.com>

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On 7/31/17 10:13 AM, alal65536@gmail.com wrote:
> I recently completed a book by Nobel prize winning physicist Frank Wilczek (spelling?), asking if physics is beautiful.  His answer was in the affirmative.  He gave two general principles for beauty in physics.  Symmetry, and Economy.
> 
> As an artist and leader, I study things for two reasons: to improve my understanding of myself and the world, and to experience pleasure.  Understanding comes from truth.  Pleasure comes from beauty.
> 
> Unfortunately today, physics has taken a turn for the worse.  The ugly lies about quarks seems to dominate many discussions of physics.  I am glad I decided to study computer engineering, instead of physics, because physics is full of lies.
> 
> I care about science, including physics, because it leads to devices that improve quality of life, and also gives life meaning.  That is why I am so concerned about the decline of physics.  We must remove the rot within the system, and cleanse physics.
> 
> The general public is right not to trust scientists.  But without science, we are lost.  We must hold ourselves to higher standards of truth, and learn to question accepted truth and established scientists.
> 
> Physics can be beautiful.
> 
> Abhinav Lal
> Writer & Investor
> 

Wilczek has eloquently talked about the new sensibilities in physics, 
which leads to a world view that is quite a bit different than what 
people were taught about physics just a short time ago.

Even today, freshmen students are taught that physics is the study of 
the behavior of material objects, materials themselves, and of energy. 
There is the grand picture of THINGS meshing and interacting in a 
passive backdrop of space and time, where those interactions are bound 
by conservation laws.

But today, the emphasis is shifted in a significant way, where the 
principle players are not the THINGS but the INTERACTIONS themselves, 
and there is a concept of fields that are distinguished and categorized 
according to what interactions they participate in. Furthermore, the 
interactions are determined by fundamental symmetries of the universe, 
which also in turn are responsible for the observed conservation rules.

So things and conservation laws of interactions are now conceptually 
replaced by interactions and symmetries. And this shift has 
fundamentally affected the role or in fact the need for the passive 
backdrop of space and time at all.

But you refer to truth, and I ask you simply: What is your bar for 
truth? Because in science, there is one and only one meter for gauging 
truth -- test by experiment. If this is not your basis for gauging 
truth, then you have no truck with science and you may as well part ways 
forever.

-- 
Odd Bodkin -- maker of fine toys, tools, tables

Thread

Physics is beautiful alal65536@gmail.com - 2017-07-31 08:13 -0700
  Re: Physics is beautiful Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com> - 2017-07-31 10:28 -0500
    Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-07-31 13:41 -0700
  Re: Physics is beautiful Edward Prochak <edprochak@gmail.com> - 2017-07-31 13:14 -0700
  Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-07-31 14:01 -0700
    Re: Physics is beautiful alal65536@gmail.com - 2017-08-01 07:30 -0700
      Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-01 09:27 -0700
      Re: Physics is beautiful Mushnik <invalid@invalid.com> - 2017-08-02 23:04 -0500
  Re: Physics is beautiful Double-A <double-a3@hush.com> - 2017-07-31 14:10 -0700
    Re: Physics is beautiful alal65536@gmail.com - 2017-08-01 12:55 -0700
      Re: Physics is beautiful Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 09:19 -0500
        Re: Physics is beautiful alal65536@gmail.com - 2017-08-02 18:24 -0700
          Re: Physics is beautiful Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 10:13 -0500
          Re: Physics is beautiful benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-08-03 14:57 -0400
            Re: Physics is beautiful "reber G=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 13:15 -0700
              Re: Physics is beautiful "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2017-08-03 13:39 -0700
      Re: Physics is beautiful Solving Tornadoes <solvingtornadoes@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 15:30 -0700
      Re: Physics is beautiful Arindam Banerjee <banerjeeadda1234@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 17:49 -0700
        Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 17:56 -0700
          Re: Physics is beautiful Arindam Banerjee <banerjeeadda1234@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 18:23 -0700
            Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 19:42 -0700
              Re: Physics is beautiful pnalsing@gmail.com - 2017-08-02 19:46 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 20:06 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful pnalsing@gmail.com - 2017-08-02 20:29 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful Mushnik <invalid@invalid.com> - 2017-08-02 22:40 -0500
                Re: Physics is beautiful pnalsing@gmail.com - 2017-08-02 20:53 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful Mushnik <invalid@invalid.com> - 2017-08-02 23:02 -0500
                Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 21:38 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful pnalsing@gmail.com - 2017-08-02 22:47 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 08:46 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful pnalsing@gmail.com - 2017-08-03 09:45 -0700
                Re: Physics is beautiful James McGinn <jimmcginn9@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 09:54 -0700
        Re: Physics is beautiful Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 10:14 -0500
          Re: Physics is beautiful benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-08-03 15:11 -0400
            Re: Physics is beautiful Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 19:17 +0000
    Re: Physics is beautiful Odd Bodkin <bodkinodd@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 10:18 -0500
  Re: Physics is beautiful "reber G=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2017-08-02 15:17 -0700
    Re: Physics is beautiful "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2017-08-02 15:31 -0700
    Re: Physics is beautiful "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2017-08-02 15:39 -0700
    Re: Physics is beautiful benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-08-02 20:46 -0400
    Re: Physics is beautiful "reber G=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 13:08 -0700
      Re: Physics is beautiful benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-08-03 16:30 -0400
      Re: Physics is beautiful "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2017-08-03 13:41 -0700
  Re: Physics is beautiful "reber G=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2017-08-03 13:16 -0700
    Re: Physics is beautiful "hanson" <hanson@quick.net> - 2017-08-03 13:42 -0700

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