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Re: science myth



Bernard Cleyet wrote:
Wait a min. -- Birds do not fly -- only some of them do -- remember
"Chicken Run?"

Yes, and that's the point of a question like "Does a duck's quack
echo?", which implies (correctly or not) that RJ's query "Does sound
echo?" has as its answer, "Most sounds do, but not necessarily all
sounds."

Remember, Tim didn't ask whether we thought the duck question was a
worthy question or a meaningful challenge to our beliefs; he asked how
he could verify/falsify it. A call for verification/falsification is an
outright challenge to our accepted premises. The only resolution of
such a challenge is rigorous experimentation and careful interpretation
of the physical evidence.

I understand syllogism, and I think I understand it well enough to
understand that we must be prepared to abandon it immediately when a
challenge is made to one of the premises of our "best knowledge".

Bernard, I'm in total agreement with your other message on this topic, a
mechanical duck call is not a duck's quack. Which is why I get cautious
when I am asked to believe that a computer simulation is a substitute
for physical evidence, as I get uneasy when I am asked to believe that a
syllogism is a substitute for an experiment.

Best wishes,

Larry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry Cartwright <exit60@ia4u.net>
Physics and Physical Science Teacher
Charlotte HS, Charlotte MI USA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P.s. I think R. J.'s syllogism is quite satisfactory. I recommend a
reading of:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/articlesnew/12551.html

Larry Cartwright wrote:

Tim O'Donnell wrote:
I am sure this is a complete science myth.
A duck's quack does not echo.
How can I verify/falsify this without getting a duck?

I don't think you can. In science, the only acceptable way to
verify/falsify is to subject the hypothesis to *physical testing*,
n'est-ce pas? Find an environment that produces echoes of other sounds,
and bring on the ducks.

On the Phys-L list, Rondo Jeffery replied to Tim:
Does sound echo?
Is a quack a sound?
If the answer is yes to both questions,
Then a quack echoes.

This is a joke, yes? You're poking fun at the Aristotelian "science"
that went out of fashion prior to the 18th century? We all know what a
price Galileo and others paid, to get us free from this approach and get
us onto the path of experimentation.

Do birds fly through the air?
Is a penguin a bird?
If the answer is yes to both questions,
Then a penguin flies through the air.