Re: [Phys-l] hypothesis testing +- real science

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

> Rumor around here is that hypothesis testing as "the scientific method"
> originated with the biologists, partly as a way to move them away from
> being
> nothing more than taxonomists.  In order for biology to gain the
> scientific
> stature of chemistry and physics they needed to do more experiments,
> create
> more theories, and do more experiments to substantiate the theories.

This certainly jibes with what I have observed in the literature.
Biologists do seem to embrace it more.  But I have also read (where?) that
the 5 step method originated with Francis Bacon, a Shakespeare contemporary
and minor scientist.  I tried some little research on the web and found no
evidence to support this.  But I have also noted that mathematicians tend to
support the 5 step method.  I suspect it was invented at least before 1800,
but I could be mistaken.

If you type it in as a search term, you get a google of hits, mostly to
teachers sites promoting it.

Does anyone have a definite reference to who might have first declared the 5
step method?

John M. Clement
Houston, TX