Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: precision?

"JACK L. URETSKY (C)1998; HEP DIVISION, ARGONNE NATIONAL LAB ARGONNE, IL
60439" <JLU@HEP.ANL.GOV>@lists.nau.edu: Forum for Physics Educators"
<PHYS-L on 09/01/99 02:49:27 PM

Please respond to "phys-l@lists.nau.edu: Forum for Physics Educators"
<PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>

Sent by: "phys-l@lists.nau.edu: Forum for Physics Educators" <PHYS-L


To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
cc:

Subject: Definitions

Thanks, Ed. Someone already pointed out that there are standard
definitions of these terms from NIST, I believe it was. So we can
take these as "dictionary" definitions. So what we have, in effect,
is a bunch of people who want to rewrite the "dictionary."
What a waste of time! The purpose of a dictionary is to ease
communication, not to garble it.

But a definition is only useful if (1) people know about it and (2) people
accept the author as an authority (or better, THE authority) on the
subject. I didn't know NIST had a set of physics definitions and would
never have thought to go to there looking. And I doubt there is a
concensus amoung physicists that NIST is the best authority, anyway.

Why is it that the sciences, which are built on attention to detail and
logical development of ideas, haven't been able to find standard
definitions of even some of the most basic terms? I think it would be
great if someone, perhaps AIP, came out with "official" definitions. Since
many (most?) physicists are members of some associated organization, it
could become a de facto definition. And since we are members, we could
have some say in the process and the definitions.

It seems that most of this group's discussions boil down to a question of
how a term is defined, and different texts us different definitions. We
may have different opinions on the best definition of "weightless", for
example, but why not hash it out, pick one, and encourage everyone to use
it consistently. When the government passes a new definition of, say,
sexual harrassmant, we don't have to like it, but we do have to live with
it. Perhaps those of differing opinion could sacrifice a bit of
independence and personal preference for the good of physics as a whole.

Of course, it might kill this group ;)


Tim Folkerts