1.0   In Physics, there are no observers

    Measurement is an activity circumscribed to Mathematics. In Physics, we don't take measurements, in
    great measure, because this would convert Physics into a subjective discipline such as Mathematics.
    You measured 5.111 cm. I measured 5.112 cm. Who's right? Should we argue before a jury and submit it
    to a vote?

    In Physics, if we have an arbitrary standard, say a ruler that measures 1 meter, the length of the croc is
    so many multiples of that specific ruler irrespective of measurement or knowledge. The length and
    distance of Physics have nothing to do with the activity of measuring. In Physics, length and distance
    are strictly qualitative parameters or attributes. A table has length even before we call a mathematician
    to take a petty measurement. And a table has so many units and partial units of the measuring tape you
    hold in your hand before you take a measurement. The measurement you take with the tape is nothing
    but an approximation to that exact magnitude.

    An example of the qualitative, real distance of Physics is the gap between the edges of a cave entrance.
    If the bear is too fat, she will not make it through the opening. We do not verify this by taking a
    measurement of the bear and comparing it against the distance between the rocks like they would in
    Mathematics. We certify this when the bear can’t get out of the cave (Fig. 1). This is not a question of
    scales or of centimeters. This is a black or white, yes or no, qualitative type of issue. Either the bear
    makes it out or she doesn’t. Another example is a stick that you use to pull your cap from the river. You
    don't need to measure from the floating cap to the bank of the river and then search for a branch that
    fits the specification that the calculator spit out. You instinctively grab a stick near you and either it is
    long enough to do retrieve the cap or it isn't. And you don’t need equations to realize that a balloon is
    smaller after it lost air. All you need is your eyes (or your imagination). Actually, this is a conceptual
    issue that follows from the definitions of 'smaller' and 'lost air'. You don't need to go to college and learn
    high level Math to understand the distance we use in Science.

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    Last modified 02/01/08


        Copyright © by Nila Gaede 2008
In Physics, we don't
measure distance
Adapted for the Internet from:

Why God Doesn't Exist

    2.0   A scientific definition is one that can be used consistently

    The mathematician may complain that he has no use for the definitions that I am proposing. They are
    not practical, so what's the point of formulating such definitions if they do not serve a purpose?

    The fact that these definitions cannot be used in Mathematics only underscores how different Math is
    from Physics. Unlike the definitions of Mathematics, these definitions can be used to explain a scientific
    theory. A scientific definition is one that you can use consistently in a dissertation or discussion.
    Otherwise, you have a mathematical definition (also known as an irrational or operational definition).
    The definitions of Physics have the advantage that they can provide a rational physical interpretation to
    a phenomenon of nature. We cannot do this with the incongruous blend used by the mathematicians.
    Just when you thought that the dimwitted spokesman from NASA was talking about length, he was
    actually referring to distance, and it really wasn't a distance, but more like a displacement. You know. The
    speaker wasn't actually referring to the separation between TWO objects. He was talking about how
    many seconds it took ONE object to get from here to there. He wraps up his presentation by asking you
    to accept this 'itinerary' as a length. So what was he talking about? Length, distance, displacement, or
    time? Architecture or motion? Objects or concepts? It is this inconsistency in the use of definitions that
    converts Mathematical Physics into a religion.


    3.0   Conclusions

    Measurement is an activity invented by a peculiar species of the animal kingdom known as
    mathematicians. These creatures create a standard, for example the meter, and then place it next to
    objects or between them to quantify what they call length or distance. Yet this is clearly unrelated to
    Science. The Universe was doing its thing before any mathematician came along. There is a distance
    between the Moon and the Earth whether there is anyone there to measure or not, and Venus has a
    certain circumference and a certain diameter whether life develops on Earth or not. Hopefully, things
    have length even before a mathematician pulls out his rod and calculator or creates a standard. This
    is the length of Physics. The religion of Mathematical Physics relies exclusively on testimonials. Physics
    does not.

Fig. 1   Distance
Mauled Bill
An example of qualitative
distance is the entrance to a
cave. We don't certify this by
measuring from one edge of
the opening to another. We
certify this when the bear
can't get out (...or when Bill
loses his arms!)
Until we find that
damned measuring
tape, this cloth
doesn't have length!