Re: [Phys-l] What comes first, the equation or the explanation?

[chuck britton <cvbritton@mac.com>]

Feynman's famous Diagrams certainly fit in here somewhere.

The diagrams provide very simple visualizations of some (so I've 
heard) complex calculations.
.
At 7:17 PM -0500 12/21/11, Aburr@aol.com wrote:
> I think most physicists create the explanation first and the equations 
> next. The equations can modify the explanation and certainly quantify it. The 
> writings on this subject that I know of from Einstein and Feynman indicate
> that  they were thinking of the physics before the equations although they
> are clearly  interrelated
>
> Alex. F. Burr 
>
>
> In a message dated 12/21/2011 3:06:37 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, 
> pschoch@nac.net writes:
>
> Hello,
>
> I am very fortunate to have inquisitive and gifted  students in Physics
> this year that are asking LOTS of questions.  As we  get ready for finals, the
> questions are getting more frequent and more  detailed, but the one I got
> yesterday was a "stumper" that some of you might  appreciate!  At the end of
> asking his physics questions the student  turned to me and asked one more: 
> "Professor, when we ask you a question,  do you see the formulas first and
> then create the explanation or get the  explanation first and then see the
> related formulas?"
>
> ...
> Happy  Holidays,
> Peter
> _______________________________________________
> Forum  for Physics  Educators
> Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
> https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Forum for Physics Educators
> Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
> https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l