Re: where there's heat there's flames

["Michael N. Monce" <mnmon@CONNCOLL.EDU>]

On Fri, 7 Jan 2000, Jim Green wrote:

> Good Grief, John, now we are trying to learn physics from AltaVista?  Is
> there a claim here that a population who learns physics from BillNye and
> which watches TV  in prime time should understand it correctly.  Do you
> realy want to VOTE on physics concepts???  Wow!


        But, isn't that what we really do???  A new idea is introduced. We
go into the lab, test it. Report results. Everybody votes as to whether we
did the experiment correctly, whether the results are meaningful vis-a-vis
the new idea, etc.  Eventually, we all vote as to whether we accept this
idea as a meaningful part of physics or not.  It seems that we only accept
a principle when the majority of physicists agree on its validity.  Sure
sounds like voting to me; although with very well-informed voters. :)


                                Mike Monce
                                Connecticut College