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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices
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To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (765727)1/25/2014 5:14:49 PM
From: Bilow  Read Replies (3) of 1576372
 
Hi J_F_Shepard; Re: "Science is often used to predict results (what will happen), but probably more often is used to explain why it happened.";

"Science" that cannot predict isn't science. It's wannabe science. It becomes science when it starts making predictions.

The first thing you get taught in college physics is the mathematics of constant acceleration. This not only explains how things fall under gravity, it also can be used to predict how they fall. It's quite accurate. If all it could do was explain it wouldn't be taught.

An example of an explanation that cannot be turned into a prediction: "The world exists because God created it."

And I agree that there's not much difference between that and "The world exists because it started with a Big Bang." But the Big Bang theory has a bunch of predictions that are consequent to it. Things having to do with the ratios of hydrogen to helium, etc. They don't teach the predictions of the big bang on popular television but they are there. That's why the big bang is "science".

When they understand the ice sheets fully, they'll be able to predict what happens to them. Hasn't happened yet. What you're seeing are the beginnings of science. Maybe someday it will turn into science. I expect it will. But, as with all the other branches of science, there will be a lot of surprises along the way.

-- Carl
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