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Methodology of Modern Physics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

Henry Margenau
Henry Margenau*
Affiliation:
Sloane Physical Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
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Abstract

Do masses, electrons, atoms, magnetic field strengths, etc., exist? Nothing is more surprising indeed than the fact that in these days of minute quantitative analysis, of relativistic thought, most of us still expect an answer to this question in terms of yes or no. The physicist frowns upon questions of the sort: is this object green?; or what time is it on a distant star? For he knows that there are many different shades of green, and that the time depends on the state of motion of the star. Almost every term that has come under scientific scrutiny has lost its initially absolute significance and acquired a range of meaning of which even the boundaries are often variable. Apparently the word to be has escaped this process.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , April 1935 , pp. 164 - 187
Copyright
Copyright © Philosophy of Science Association 1935

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References

13 Occasionally one finds in the literature the assertion that physicists apply the wave theory for certain purposes of calculation, the particle theory for others, and that they must know in advance which theory to apply in order to get the correct result. If this is taken to reflect the physicist's basic attitude, then the statement is grossly misleading. The point is that we have a reasonably satisfactory theory of the electron which assigns to it neither the character of a particle nor that of a wave. In principle, this theory can be applied to all specific cases; but its rigorous application is often very cumbersome. Fortunately we know, however, that in certain limiting cases this very theory leads to the same results as the wave theory, and in others it leads to the results of the particle theory. On the basis of this circumstance we often permit ourselves to use either of these latter, simpler theories in the solution of specific problems, or even to illuminate our discourse by reference to particles or waves. But there is absolutely no conflict between these notions.

14 n need not be thought of as number of “particles” multiplied by 3; in fact the number of degrees of freedom, if we desire to retain the term in this connection, should be regarded as a suitable number ascertained by trial.

15 H. Margenau, The Monist, 42, 161 (1932).

16 To this end the differential equations were written in first order form, which forces statistical weights to be always positive. The second order form would admit such absurdities as negative probabilities.

17 M. v. Laue, Naturwissenschaften, 20, 915 (1932); 22, 439 (1934).

18 E. Schrödinger, Die Naturwissenschaften, 22, 518 (1934).