PHI 030
April 6, 2015
The Standard Model in Physics
From CERN
Text description of the model
Google Street View of CERN
Standard Model Equation
Explanation here
(Complicated) Standard Model Equation
What is Science?
Seeks to understand, explain, and predict
A distinguishing feature of science is its methods. E.g.,
- Experiments
- Observations
- Theory construction
Science & Non-Science
- No clear-cut criteria demarcating science from non-science exist
- Karl Popper argued that the defining feature of scientific theories is that they are falsifiable
- To be falsifiable, a theory must make non-vague predictions that can be tested
- A theory that makes predictions that are compatible with any state of affairs—or too broad a range—is not scientific
- The theory must rule things out
- A theory that makes no predictions—such as certain models of the multiverse—is not properly scientific.
Ordering of Sciences
Auguste Comte (1798-1857) ordered sciences from the general to the particular, from the simple to the complex. His list was:
Math → Astronomy → Physics → Chemistry → Biology → Sociology
Note: Comte was the founder of sociology, which may have something to do with his ordering.