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Re:Physics is unreasonably good at creating new math by bee_rider on Wednesday September 04, 2024 @01:38PM (#41448384)
I think this is a disagreement about the word invalidate, and maybe it was a bad pick on my part. The observations don’t make the math wrong, maybe less useful.

But, I say the math can’t be invalidated by observations; and you describe some cases where the math is valid but might or might not be applicable to certain physical cases. So actually, I’m not clear as to what you are saying I’m misunderstanding.

Re:Physics is unreasonably good at creating new math by tines on Wednesday September 04, 2024 @02:27PM (#41448897)
Ok, I see what you mean now.

I took your word "invalidate" to mean "be proven false" whereas I meant "valid" as in "logically coherent, even if not true."

Re:Physics is unreasonably good at creating new math by hughesjj on Wednesday September 04, 2024 @02:15PM (#41448759)
> I say the math can’t be invalidated by observations

I meant, isn't a counter-example or proof by contradiction an invalidation by a type of observation?

Re:Physics is unreasonably good at creating new math by tines on Wednesday September 04, 2024 @02:26PM (#41448887)
No, proof by contradiction is a logical construction, has nothing to do with the real world. Proof by counter-example could or could not be observation, depending on whether your example comes from observation or from pure logic.
Re:Physics is unreasonably good at creating new math by trashtester on Thursday September 05, 2024 @12:01PM (#41457875)
I suppose even in pure math, if you postulate a set of axioms, then proceed to to prove some theorems, you're still at risk of someone providing something like a counter-example showing that your axioms are not consistent, and that not all of them can be true at the same time.

Meaning that even if the inductive logic is 100% correct, the theory can be incorrect due to using mutually exclusive (in some non-obvious way) axioms.