Things that's accepted but has not been prooved yet

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In summary, the concept of antineutrinos has been well-established and experimentally proven, as they have been observed in particle accelerators. However, the idea of the Big Bang, while accepted by many, cannot be directly proven without a time machine. In science, ideas and theories are constantly refined and accepted based on experimental evidence, rather than being proven absolutely like in mathematics. The scientific method, which involves hypothesizing, experimenting, observing, and theorizing, is a logical approach to understanding the world. However, logic alone cannot prove anything without first establishing the necessary premises through observation and experimentation.
  • #1
danielI
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Hi!
I'm woundering what parts/things in physics that's being accepted but hasn't really been prooved yet.
Is antineutrinos one of these things?

Also if I remember this correctly neutrinos were accepted before they were prooved?
 
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  • #2
It's well established that antineutrinos exist and are distinct from neutrinos. At particle accelerators, we can produce beams of either neutrinos or antineutrinos, from the decays of other particles. When neutrinos interact with other matter in a detector, they characteristically produce electrons, or negative muons, or negative taus, depending on which "flavor" the neutrino is. Antineutrinos produce positrons, positive muons, or positive taus.
 
  • #3
danielI said:
Hi!
I'm woundering what parts/things in physics that's being accepted but hasn't really been prooved yet.

There is no such thing.

Is antineutrinos one of these things?

Antineutrinos are so well-established experimentally, it is not even funny. An electron antineutrino is obtained from each beta decay.

Also if I remember this correctly neutrinos were accepted before they were prooved?

You were around back then? What evidence do you have that they were "accepted" before experimental evidence were produced?

Zz.
 
  • #4
I think "accepted" is a very vague word. Yes, dirac (or pauli, i don't know) had neutrinos in from their calculations, but it was met with a healthy dose of skepticism from the community. It was not until experimental evidence came when it became "accepted".
 
  • #5
What do you mean by "prove"?

The Big Bang is one thing that popped into my head. If you use the idea of "experimentally proven" to mean proven... then I suppose you really can't directly "prove" the big bang. If you use mathematics however, you can say its proven.
 
  • #6
Pengwuino said:
What do you mean by "prove"?

The Big Bang is one thing that popped into my head. If you use the idea of "experimentally proven" to mean proven... then I suppose you really can't directly "prove" the big bang. If you use mathematics however, you can say its proven.
BB hasn't been proven and never will be (without a time machine).

The atomic theory of matter could be said to be proven. Since, well, we've seen them.
 
  • #7
DaveC426913 said:
BB hasn't been proven and never will be (without a time machine).
The atomic theory of matter could be said to be proven. Since, well, we've seen them.

Then where do our models come from?
 
  • #8
Science is never 'proven', like a mathematical theorem. It is merely 'refined' and/or 'accepted'.

Newtons law of gravity is 'accepted' b/c it has passed every experimental test in its realm of applicability ever thrown at it. Tommorow otoh if suddenly apples fall upwards, we would merely change the sign in front of 1/R^2 as compelled by experiment (or rather aliens would, bc we wouldn't be here any longer). There is nothing to say conclusively that such a situation couldn't happen, its just that we wouldn't bet on it =)

Anyway, there are plenty of open conjectures that are still out there, many of which are thought to be correct (by almost everyone), but still tentatively unsure (usually b/c we can't make a proper falsifiable experiment or b/c there's an ambiguity in the theory).

I don't know, a famous one is the 'no closed time like curves' in GR conjectured by Hawkings.
 
  • #9
Actually experiments aren't what "prove" anything. it is actually LOGIC. No one could ever ever ever prove me wrong if say "we exist." this is so because this statement makes perfect logical sense. No experiments have to be done, only simply logical reasoning. If someone said "in my opinion I don't believe we exist" they would be completely wrong. Just by the sheer fact that we are not nothing means that we exist; just by the sheer fact that i can think, interpret, and interact with the environment "proves" 100% that we exist. Logic is all u need to prove anything. When something makes perfect logical sense it is TRUTH, absolute truth, and can never be disproven such as my sinario above.
 
  • #10
I think haelfix has hit the nail right on the head. Its never possible to prove anything absolutely in science.

And i don't think it has anything to do with the logic stuff. I exist, this exist, whatever.
 
  • #11
GOD ENTITY said:
Logic is all u need to prove anything. When something makes perfect logical sense it is TRUTH, absolute truth, and can never be disproven such as my sinario above.

Besides logic, you need to establish the premises in which to start reasoning. In many cases, experimental evidence is the only way you can determine what premises to start with.
 
  • #12
Logic determines those premises in which to start reasoning. How I define logic is interpreting the environment in which one exist and arriving at a specific conclusion about something within that environment that is completely consistent with the laws of that environment. Thats what logic is. For example: if I notice a tree and a leaf falls off from it, it would be illogical for me to say all trees have leaves that fall from them unless I actually studied it in comparison with all the laws of the environment in which it exist. Once done then i can safely say which types of trees exist and which ones will have leaves that fall.
 
  • #13
GOD ENTITY said:
Actually experiments aren't what "prove" anything. it is actually LOGIC ... No experiments have to be done, only simply logical reasoning.
Well, you have just thrown out the last two millenia of science. The Greeks believed that the universe could be understood from their couches through logic alone. Unfortunately, it led them quite astray. It wasn't until the scientific method was established, more than a millenium later that science and civilization truly advanced. That was when we threw away what we thought we knew, and looked around to see what was actually happening.

Toss out the scientific method (hypothesize, experiment, observe, theorize) and you're back in the Dark Ages.
 
  • #14
i never said toss out scientific method. the scientific method is just a way of looking at things logically. when we were in the dark ages we didn't actually look at things logically because anything someone observed was not taken fully underconsideration. No one looked at every single aspect of situation 100% of the time. The scientific method is just a way of taking all aspects of a situation even more into account. So actually the scientific method is just a way of looking at things even more logically. It doesn't disprove logic rather it confirms it.
 
  • #15
DaveC426913 said:
That was when we threw away what we thought we knew...

Oh dear, no! The scientific method was born from the recovery of the ancient works. Science needs both method and madness.
 
  • #16
GOD ENTITY said:
i never said toss out scientific method. the scientific method is just a way of looking at things logically ... So actually the scientific method is just a way of looking at things even more logically...
No, it's not. The point of the Scientific Method is to NOT rely on logic. The point is to rely on experimentation and observation. Even when (and particularly when) it conflicts with logic.

The rationale is "Logic can be flawed. Empirical evidence is the only trustworthy source of knowledge."

(This is not to say that logic is not employed in the SM to develop a theory; it is to say, quite emphatically, that, even with superhuman logical thinking, we cannot learn about the universe from our living room chairs.)
 
  • #17
Pengwuino said:
Then where do our models come from?
Because we've seen them directly, we know they exist. Whatever else they are, we know a sheet of copper is made of little chunks of copper "atoms" about yay big. No amount of future theoerizing or observation will change what we have seen up to this point.

What we don't know (i.e. have not proven), is how they work. Our models (which model protons, electrons, quarks, etc.) attempt to explain how they work.

We're seen evidence of quarks, but our evidence is somewhat more indirect. Our models are pretty (OK, very) accurate, but future models and evidence may yet change our model of subatomic particles.
 
  • #18
ok, the problem here is semantics. we have different definitions for logic. The thing here is that u are defining logic differently than me. I define logic as truth, therefore according to this definitino it can't be wrong. Logic is always 100% true. i don't define it as something that's man made. I define logic as the reality, the absolute reality. so considering this definition the scientific method does in fact try to prove what is logical (truth, reality) but the problem is that even with this advanced method as opposed to our dark age one, it still doesn't take everything into account. but it does try to and actually does it more than humanity used to.

Do u see how i am actually being consistent that it was just a misunderstanding of definitions.
 
  • #19
GOD ENTITY said:
ok, the problem here is semantics. we have different definitions for logic. The thing here is that u are defining logic differently than me.
OK, no. The problem here is that you're using the word incorrectly.

One doesn't invent definitions as one sees fit. Unless you want to have discussions with trees, you should stick to the established language.

A really excellent way for you to help yourself is to read up on the subjects you're interested in so that you make sense in discussions with others.
 
  • #20
GOD ENTITY said:
ok, the problem here is semantics. we have different definitions for logic. The thing here is that u are defining logic differently than me. I define logic as truth, therefore according to this definitino it can't be wrong. Logic is always 100% true. i don't define it as something that's man made. I define logic as the reality, the absolute reality. so considering this definition the scientific method does in fact try to prove what is logical (truth, reality) but the problem is that even with this advanced method as opposed to our dark age one, it still doesn't take everything into account. but it does try to and actually does it more than humanity used to.
Do u see how i am actually being consistent that it was just a misunderstanding of definitions.

That is not the way anyone else understands the work "logic"!
For one thing, "logic" is a process, not a fact. Logic is a process that shows that one statement is true IF another is true. All logical arguments have to come from an initial statement that is accepted as true. Logic asserts that a given argument is "valid". It does not assert that the conclusion of the argument IS true.

IF you know that a given statement is true, and that an argument leading from that statement to a conclusion is "logically valid", then you know that the conclusion is true. But logic can't tell you whether or not your initial statement is true.

In mathematics, all statements are of the form "if... then" so that the initial statement doesn't have to be verified. In science, the truth of the initial statement is based on observation and experiment. Of course, those are never perfect- that's why science is entirely an endeavor to show that some theories are FALSE, thus giving at least more confidence that the ones remaining are true. You can never prove that a scientific theory is true, just that others are false.

God Entity said:
No one could ever ever ever prove me wrong if say "we exist." this is so because this statement makes perfect logical sense.
No one could ever prove you wrong because the statement is meaningless.
I would accept "exist" as a term in logic but I have no idea who you are referring to by "we". If you were to say "I exist", I would probably be compelled to accept that there is something (perhaps a computer AI program or my own delusions) sending that message to me. But "we" implies more than one of you and I have no reason to accept that!
If you mean "you and I"- the one sending the message and the one receiving it- I would still have to consider the possibility that they are, in fact, one and the same- perhaps I am "hearing" voices created by my own mind- in which case the use of "we" is incorrect and "we exist" is false.
 
  • #21
Absolutely, science needs both method and madness. =)

There are three domains in science: firstly Reason (that with which we think and concieve), secondly Evidence (that with which we experiment and which feeds our reason), and thirdly Mathematics (that which is purely abstract and is the bridge between the purely mental Reason and the purely physical Evidence).

If we deny Reason then the universe becomes meaningless; if we deny Evidence then we become foolish, or perhaps even insane; and if we deny Mathematics, we will always be vague and uncertain and therefore incorrect.
 
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  • #22
To get slightly more ontopic: I once heard that no connection between vitamin C intake and recovering from a cold. OK, I find this rather hard to believe, but still.

edit:
alfredblase said:
If we deny Reason then the universe becomes meaningless, if we deny Evidence then we become foolish, or perhaps even insane, and if we deny mathematics, we will always be vague and uncertain and therefore incorrect.
Damn, i like that. Could i use that as a sig on some other forums?
 
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  • #23
Kea said:
Oh dear, no! The scientific method was born from the recovery of the ancient works. Science needs both method and madness.
No, it wasn't! It started with the rejection of mere authority e.g. calling Aristotle 'the Master of those who Know', instead of looking at phenomena. So far as 'God entity''s comments are concerned, we haven't advanced much in logic since about 1200. Yes I know we now have automated methods of handling complex sequences, but no major advances have been made. (And don't mention Wittgenstein! His arguments have more holes than some cheeses!)
Ernie
 

1. What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

A theory is a well-supported explanation for a phenomenon that has been extensively tested and proven to be true. A hypothesis, on the other hand, is an educated guess or prediction about a phenomenon that has yet to be tested and proven.

2. How do scientists determine if something is accepted but not yet proven?

Scientists use the scientific method to test and gather evidence for a particular phenomenon. This includes making observations, formulating a hypothesis, conducting experiments, and analyzing data. If the results consistently support the hypothesis, it can be accepted as a valid explanation even if it has not been proven beyond a doubt.

3. Can something be accepted without being proven?

Yes, in science, ideas and theories can be accepted as valid explanations even if they have not been proven. This is because scientific understanding is constantly evolving and new evidence may come to light in the future to either support or contradict accepted ideas.

4. What are some examples of things that are accepted but have not been proven yet?

Some examples include the theory of evolution, the Big Bang theory, and the idea that climate change is caused by human activities. While there is overwhelming evidence to support these ideas, they have not been proven beyond a doubt and continue to be studied and researched by scientists.

5. How can we trust something that has not been proven?

While it is important for scientific ideas to be supported by evidence, it is also important to remember that science is a continuous process of learning and discovery. Just because something has not been proven yet does not mean it is not a valid explanation. As new evidence and advancements in technology emerge, our understanding of the world around us will continue to evolve.

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