Experiment, Right Or WrongIn Experiment, Right or Wrong, Allan Franklin continues his investigation of the history and philosophy of experiment presented in his previous book, The Neglect of Experiment. In this new study, Franklin considers the fallibility and corrigibility of experimental results and presents detailed histories of two such episodes: 1) the experiment and the development of the theory of weak interactions from Fermi's theory in 1934 to the V-A theory of 1957 and 2) atomic parity violation experiments and the Weinberg-Salam unified theory of electroweak interactions of the 1970s and 1980s. In these episodes Franklin demonstrates not only that experimental results can be wrong, but also that theoretical calculations and the comparison between experiment and theory can also be incorrect. In the second episode, Franklin contrasts his view of an "evidence model" of science in which questions of theory choice, confirmation, and refutation are decided on the basis of reliable experimental evidence, with that proposed by the social constructivists. |
Contents
EXPERIMENT AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY | 7 |
Fermis theory | 18 |
Toward a universal Fermi interaction muons | 25 |
Betadecay theory following World War II | 42 |
The discovery of parity nonconservation | 63 |
The VA theory of weak interactions and | 75 |
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agreement analysis angle approximately argued asymmetry atomic physics axial vector B-decay background beam believe Beta Decay bismuth Bouchiat branching ratio calculated circular polarization conclusion confirmation correct coupling constants CP violation decay electrons decay particle effect electron energy emitted episode evidence model experimental evidence experimental results favor Fermi Interaction Fermi theory forbidden Franklin Galison Gamow-Teller hypothesis K-U theory kaons Konopinski Langer leptons magnetic mass measured meson MeV/c momentum muon decay neutral currents neutrino neutron Novosibirsk nuclear observed Oxford Oxford group parity conservation Parity Nonconservation parity violation parity-violation perimental Philosophy of Science physicists physics community pion polarization positrons problem proton pseudoscalar recoil nucleus refutation reported Rustad and Ruby scattering scientists shown in Figure spectra spectrum spin ẞ decay strategies Sudarshan and Marshak tensor thallium theoretical prediction theory choice transitions uncertainty V-A theory validity weak interactions Weinberg-Salam theory