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Image Credit: Physicsworld
What physics metaphor do you think needs to be experimentally verified?
- Physics World’s Richard Miller discusses physics metaphors that could benefit from empirical testing.
- The use of the metaphor compares slamming particles in accelerators to firing a gun at a watch to see what is inside.
- Physicist Dr David Miller has compared the function of the Higgs boson to a room of people and celebrities interacting within that space.
- While these, and other physics metaphors cited, remain untested empirically, the question remains whether or not the reliability of physicist’s statements about what goes on inside atoms are accurate.
- Dr Gino Elia from Stony Brook University highlights one example in which probability distribution could be likened to relatives not attending Thanksgiving dinner.
- With incorrect metaphors commonly used in literature and music, the article asks should it be acceptable to use them in physics?
- The relevance of metaphors to human beings and the experiences they provide remain important, ultimately highlighting the importance of clarity in communication whether or not the metaphors are accurate.
- Continuing from the discussion, the author invites readers to submit their favourite physics metaphor and discuss whether it has been empirically tested and why it matters.
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