tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281444972012-02-12T21:52:24.582-08:00A Blog for issues on the leading edge of science and philosophy of scienceWyrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09876387167634306760noreply@blogger.comBlogger41100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28144497.post-1150271340978380902006-06-14T00:47:00.000-07:002006-06-14T00:49:00.990-07:00<a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/randall_sundrum_braneworld.html?3052006">http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/randall_sundrum_braneworld.html?3052006</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28144497-115027134097838090?l=wyrdscience.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Wyrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09876387167634306760noreply@blogger.com227tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28144497.post-1148088367924046502006-05-19T18:21:00.000-07:002006-05-19T18:26:07.923-07:00Science is largely rooted in a Nomic foundation. That is the phenomena it studies appear to be governed by Laws. These Laws in turn appear to be mathematical or at least modelable by mathematics. But what is mathematics? Are laws mathematical and if so why? What actually are laws? What's going on? This is probably the most fundamental and difficult topics in the Philosophy of Science, and incredibly important to our understanding of the Scientific Project.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28144497-114808836792404650?l=wyrdscience.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Wyrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09876387167634306760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28144497.post-1147812308072017382006-05-16T13:20:00.000-07:002006-05-19T10:47:47.700-07:00That last comment deserves a thread of its own.<br /><br />What is probability in physical terms? Excluding the Bayesian perspective of subjective probability (the degree of certainty of knowledge, i.e. 'I'm *probably* right about this') and embrassing the objective viewpoint of the Empiricists (the probability of an event actually happening and being experienced), we can say that Probability is the measure of the 'likelihood' of random, or apparently random, events producing some stated end result. Though this in itself is something of a tautology and so requires a deeper study!<br /><br />A coin has two possible faces both are arguably 'equally likely' to be uppermost after a flip, therefore Heads is commonly thought to have a probability of 1 in 2. Though in actual fact this will only be noticable after a great many flips according to Frequency Theory.<br /><br />This is problematic however in that a coin flip in scientific convention is still held to be not random at all but a predictable event, at least in principle where classical physics applies. Mechanical coin flippers under controlled conditions produce wholely predictable results. But the initial conditions and accidents in the process of the common human coin flip are effectively unknowable. In which case the probability will be one of subjective knowledge not objective result. So why do we get a 50:50 distribution of possible end results in a long run of coin flips. An unknowable complex determinism should produce an undetected pattern that appears 'random' but is really pseudo-random and so should demonstrate no observable regularities (as gamblers have confirmed to their detriment). Confused? You are not alone understanding probability is one of the hardest problems in philosophy. Part Two to follow in comments.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28144497-114781230807201738?l=wyrdscience.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Wyrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09876387167634306760noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28144497.post-1147706505866592002006-05-15T08:19:00.000-07:002006-05-15T08:21:45.883-07:00This interesting little article on World Science is food for thought<br /><br /><a href="http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060330_multiversefrm.htm">http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060330_multiversefrm.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28144497-114770650586659200?l=wyrdscience.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Wyrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09876387167634306760noreply@blogger.com11