🚀 go-pugleaf

It's not possible to prove a theory.

However, it is possible to _disprove_ a theory. If the results of an
experiment disagree with what your theory predicts, then your theory is
wrong. If the results of an experiment agree with what your theory predicts,
it may just be that you haven't yet found the right experiment.

Newton's laws of motion were for many years taken to be true until
experiments were devised to test Einstein's theories and it was discovered
that, while really useful in the real world, Newton's laws weren't actually
correct.

Steve  = : ^ )

> From: P.Bolchover@amtp.cam.ac.uk (Paul Bolchover)
> Organization: University of Cambridge DAMTP
> Newsgroups: sci.misc,uk.sci.misc,fj.sci.misc,japan.sci.misc,aus.science
> Date: 6 Sep 2001 10:08:53 GMT
> Subject: Re: How to proof a theory?
> 
> In article <9n7771$5kdq6$1@ID-40201.news.dfncis.de>,
> Wolfram <remove_this!helbrecht@gmx.net> wrote:
>> Hello everybody,
>> 
>> Assumed someone had found out something new. He's got an idea
>> about how something specific could/an idea about, what the reason
>> for something. I.e. he could imagine, his idea could be the base
>> for a new theory.
>> 
>> How could he proof it? What should be his steps?
>> 
> 
> First, he'll have to find somewhere where his theory differs from the
> standard one.
> 
> Then, he'll have to devise an experiment to test what actually happens in
> that instance.
> 
> Then, he'll have to run the experiment.
> 
> Then, he'll have to get someone else to run the experiment.
> 
> Then, he'll have to consult with many other people to see if they can
> come up with other explanations for the new phenomenon.
> 
> But, even then, the theory won't be proved - it will just be shown to
> be consistent with experiments...
> 
> Paul