JoshuaZ comments on Great Explanations - Less Wrong

23 Post author: lukeprog 31 October 2011 11:58PM

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Comment author: wedrifid 02 November 2011 09:17:29AM *  1 point [-]

However, I don't think any such simple insights will move you any close to understanding either QM or relativity

Then, like Luke, I must observe that your definition of 'understanding' is completely incompatible with mine. Actually, no. I think we've moved beyond that now. You are just wrong.

Look at the first example for a start. That claim is based on understanding of (part of) relativity. But that example was only included coincidentally. May I remind you that the examples you demanded were for physics in general (and, for that matter, that the demand was in response to professed understanding of evolution.)? Space considerations stopped me before I also threw in predictions about "two really good clocks, one of which you fly around really fast!", the fellow who gets into a rocket and outlives his great grandchildren and what happens when you shoot not very many very small things through very small slits.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 03 November 2011 05:01:46AM 3 points [-]

Question: If the world were wiped out tomorrow leaving a few people and you were the only survivor with any minimal scientific training, could you on your own reconstruct special relativity? If the answer to this is "no" then you don't understand it.

Note that by this standard I don't understand QM and I really don't understand GR and I'm a math grad student. It is ok to say that one doesn't understand things.

Comment author: wedrifid 03 November 2011 05:37:54AM *  3 points [-]

Question: If the world were wiped out tomorrow leaving a few people and you were the only survivor with any minimal scientific training, could you on your own reconstruct special relativity? If the answer to this is "no" then you don't understand it.

Yes. I already declared this, in a comment you replied to no less.

Additional claim: It has been too long since I studied physics for me to remember all of the mathematics of special relativity. Yet when I did the aforementioned study I also gained a solid grasp of the fundamental principles. With that understanding I could recreate the interesting mathematics from first principles. I am confident of this because I've done it before, just for kicks. Because memorizing the math wasn't enough for me and I wanted to really grasp the science in depth. The way you do that is by knowing the concepts well enough that you could work out the equations for yourself. Because just memorizing them is detail work. (I haven't got a chance in hell of doing this with GR.)

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