Chronology | Current Month | Current Thread | Current Date |
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] | [Date Index] [Thread Index] | [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] | [Date Prev] [Date Next] |
Does the Fermat Principle explain refraction? It does for me. Why?
For the same reason for which the energy conservation law makes me
understand why a tennis ball released from a rest position never
bounces to a higher elevation. (For those who are more pedantic I
may add that "the internal properties of a tennis ball do not
change in the process".) I have a model of explanation and my
understanding can be defined as a process of matching observations
to that model. My understanding may not be valuable to her or him
but that is their problem, not mine. Unless I am their teacher,
of course.