Re: [Phys-l] God as an explanation (WAS: Darwinism under attack?andthephysicsclassroom)

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

Easy to swallow?  Not in an introductory course, which is where I assume the
God as an explanation is likely to occur.  And of course one can always push
the explanation back to God ordained symmetry, and build our brain to make
it obvious.  So one comes back to the answer depends on the question.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


> But momentum conservation is a Noether Current associated with spatial
> translation invariance.  Spatial translation invariance is a very
> intuitive, natural and easy to swallow axiom.  There's really nothing
> strange or mystical about momentum conversation, it's simply a reflection
> of symmetry.
>
> David Whitbeck
>
>
>
> Then of course the explanation for the 3rd law just pushes it back to God
> ordained conservation of momentum.  So again it comes down to how you
> phrase
> the question.  I suppose a Wiccan would say mother nature ordains it, or
> an
> atheist could say that is how the universe it put together.  It all
> amounts
> to the same thing.
>
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX
>
> > Hi all-
> >  	Feynman (I-10-1) seens ti equate the 3d Law with conservation of
> > Momentum.  The argument strikes me as making the 3d law a corollary of
> > Laws I & 2.
> >  				Regards,
> >  					Jack
> >
> >
> > On Mon, 28 Jul 2008, John Clement wrote:
> >
> > > This depends on how the question was asked.  One way around this is to
> > > always refer to models, and then to ask questions such as using the
> > model of
> > > x explain y.  After all there are a number of models which explain
> > various
> > > aspects of physics.  With time of course some models are discarded,
> > > modified, or used less.  However, I would assume that the question
> asked
> > was
> > > expected to be answered within the context of the course, and that
> there
> > was
> > > an appropriate answer within that context.
> > >
> > > Because God wills it is a perfectly good explanation for Newton's
> third
> > law
> > > in an introductory course.  The relationship between the interaction
> > forces
> > > has no explanation.  Even Newton resorted to that type of explanation
> > when
> > > he couldn't figure out why orbits were stable.
> > >
> > > This type of answer is usually either a symptom of a poorly asked
> > question,
> > > or a student who didn't know the appropriate answer.
> > >
> > > John M. Clement
> > > Houston, TX
> > >
> > >
> > > > > What would you do if a student answered a question on your test
> > > > > with "because God wills it to be that way"?
> > > >
> > > > I suggest asking Brian W, as he has (had) such a student.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/brian_w/2702703072/
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > bc reads four.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 2008, Jul 27, , at 22:57, Marc "Zeke" Kossover wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > --- On Sun, 7/27/08, paul c. cheffi <cheffi@ROADRUNNER.COM> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > None of this fits into light, sound, energy...
> > > > > > whatever that
> > > > > > is happening in your world.  Let the Biology teacher figure
> > > > > > it out.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > What would you do if a student answered a question on your test
> > > > > with "because God wills it to be that way"?
> > > > >
> > > > > How do you know that your explanations about light, sound, energy,
> > > > > whatever are true or at least close to being true?
> > > > >
> > > > > Marc "Zeke" Kossover
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > -----
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> > --
> > "Trust me.  I have a lot of experience at this."
> >  		General Custer's unremembered message to his men,
> >  		just before leading them into the Little Big Horn Valley
> >
> >
> >
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