In the history of science, there are many notable examples of cherished beliefs among physicists that turn out to be totally false. Two classic examples will prove the point.
It is quite obvious that energy flows continuously; just turn on your kitchen stove and watch the temperature rise.
But, a young German physicist, named Max Planck, took very precise measurements and found the contrary: energy is “quantized”; that is, it comes in small, individual packets, so small it appears as if energy were continuously increasing or decreasing. The quantum of energy, now a firm fact, changed the views of physicists forever.
Now consider the obvious fact of relative motion. Two cars that move toward each other move faster than if one car stopped. This must “clearly” be true of all moving things.
Not so; the classic experiment of Michelson and Morley showed that light, unlike other things, always moves at the vary same speed relative to other things - cars, planets, etc. This fact, the speed of light is constant in a vacuum, forms the foundation of the Special Theory of Relativity.
Good experiments can also help us determine the correctness of religious beliefs. A major study, just completed, shows that prayers for the sick don’t help in anyway whatsoever. Persons prayed for are just as sick as persons for whom no prayers were offered.
Although prayers are useless, emotional support, state of mind, and general optimism do help patients feel better and occasionally improve physically.
This century offers the possibility of experimentally determining which of our most cherished beliefs are valid or mere surmise or outright superstition.
Peter Duran
Fayetteville, Ga.
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