Re: [Phys-l] DATA, FACTS, LAWS, THEORIES

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

Of course, only things are called laws if they have some general validity
and applicability.  But the primary requirement to be a law is that it is a
relationship between variables.  Beyond that there seem to be social and
political rules that determine which things are called laws.  Newton never
called his laws "laws".

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> On Oct 18, 2009, at 6:38 PM, John Clement wrote:
>
> > > 1) Each Kepler's law is an example in which the term "law'" means "a
> > > generalization based on facts."
> > But each of these is a relationship between variables.
> >
> >
> > > 3) Newton's law of gravitation, on the other hand, is not "a
> > > generalization based on facts." That is why I think it is better to
> > > say "Newton's theory of gravitation." It explains Kepler's Laws in
> > > terms of postulated F=G*M*m/r^2 .
> > NTN gravitational law is also a relationship between variables.
> >
> > These all follow the rule that I have put forth as being the
> > requirement to
> > be called a law.
>
> Suppose a student John collected data and plotted distance versus
> time. Would you call it John's law?
>
>
> Ludwik Kowalski, a retired physics teacher
> 5 Horizon Road, Apt. 2702, Fort Lee, NJ, 07024, USA
> Also an amateur journalist.
>
>                                              Food for thought:
> "Absence of proof is not proof of absence."
>
> Updated links  to his selected publications are at:
> http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/cf/  ,
> http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/my_opeds.html
>    and  http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/revcom.html
>
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