Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Physics, Mathematics, Precision

Once Mathematical Physics is conceived as a practical enterprise, and not as an ontological discovery, the role of Mathematics in it, as the facilitation of precision in measurement, is plain.  For, its central notion, Force, can be grasped as an accelerant without exactitude, i. e. as simply an event that increases the velocity of some entity.  Likewise, Gravity, can be established both as an accelerant, and as constant, without specific quantification.  The virtue of Mathematics in such an enterprise can be inferred from its contribution to a different project, i. e. to cooking, in which precision in measurement can be decisive in its success.  In the context of Physics, that virtue is perhaps best evinced not merely insofar as Acceleration can be assigned a numerical value , but insofar as it can be expressed precisely, i. e. in terms of division, squares, and infinitesimals.

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