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Is Particle Physics At Risk of Becoming Tautological?



Ed Schweber (edschweb@ix.netcom.com)
Physics Teacher at The Solomon Schechter Day School, West Orange, NJ

Hi:

Let my ask a question that I have not completely formulated myself but
which I occasionally wonder about.

In classical physics, the results of an experiment can be interpreted
without referring back to the theory being tested. We can measure mass and
velocity in a collision and test momentum conservation without having to
assume momentum conservation as part of the data manipulation. Anything else
would be circular reasoning.

But the mass of a neutrino is not determined that directly. When we start
talking about transitions between particles we are making particle theory
part of our data analysis.

Is particle theory becoming a logically consistent but
self-referential theory that is losing direct contact with the physical
world in the manner of various branches of mathematics?

Ed Schweber