About "science"

Multiverse   Friday, June 11, 2004, 03:48 GMT
Yeah, In one universe there's a person named Willy who doesn't like the spelling ''bwauk'' and thinks it should be respelled as ''book'' and nobody agrees with him that it's pronounced anything like that.
Might Mick   Friday, June 11, 2004, 03:57 GMT
Yeah I agree with you Willy, that most other Latinos pronounce book "bwauk" just like you.

"it" doesn't rhyme with "ya" just as "Luuk" doesn't rhyme with "bouk" but then I wasn't considering your proposed dialect.

http://www.animationusa.com/picts/wbpict/disgrunt.jpg
The disgruntled alien on the right seems to agree with your position.
Willy   Friday, June 11, 2004, 03:59 GMT
Ya is for you in American conversation slang.
Dulcinea del Toboso   Friday, June 11, 2004, 05:06 GMT
For me, and most Americans in the western U.S.:

1) "book" rhymes with "cook", "look", "nook", "rook", "shook", and "took"

2) "Luke" rhymes with "duke", "gook", "kook", and "nuke"

But "book" does not rhyme with "Luke". No word in list 1 rhymes with any word in list 2. Actually, I would say the above statements are true for any native English speaker.

If I saw the spelling "bwauk", to me it would rhyme with "dock" or "knock"; it has the "awk" sound of "awkward". "Wauk" sounds like the word "walk".
Might Mick   Friday, June 11, 2004, 05:43 GMT
Yah yah. yada yadaya :P

Dulcinea, so maybe it's German like Bwauk's Wagon? So Willy could be German after all.
patsd   Friday, June 11, 2004, 06:09 GMT
A science would deal with any subject in which the contents of that subject can be readily examined, physicaly and repeatedly tested and have the potential to be proven as somthing. Therefore Math is a science, but nobody would say call it such in every day conversation. Examples of subjects that are not true sciences are philosphy, drama, religion, history, any type of art, speech, humanities and athletics. These are all based on ideas, recollections, opinions etc. instead of testable elements. Obviously, therefore, "social science" is not a true science. That is the study of human tendancies, lifestyles and environmental responses, which are not invariable under identical sets of circumstances and therefore not testable in a truely scientific fashion.
dian   Friday, June 11, 2004, 06:41 GMT
I think you should open a new thread to discuss about the definition of science. Because, what you have posted here are confusing. But I think that by looking at the previous messages (the ones that have to do with my original message), I can conclude that the term science that I mentioned before is "a natural science".
Willy   Friday, June 11, 2004, 06:51 GMT
Germans say "ja" for "yes". J sounds y in English. W sounds v in English. V sounds f in English. I don't speak Deutsch.
Jim   Friday, June 11, 2004, 06:57 GMT
"A science would deal with any subject in which the contents of that subject can be readily examined, physicaly and repeatedly tested and have the potential to be proven as somthing." Fine and therefore maths is a science.

You cannot test mathematics. It's all deduction from axioms. You either have a valid deduction or you've made a mistake. Deductions are not falsifiable by observation.

In another Universe I think "book" is pronounced and spelt as "bwauk" ... no, I'm in this Universe where it's "book". Suppose, though, that I were in some Universe in which it is pronounced and spelt "bwauk", it would be normal for me to follow suit.
Jim   Friday, June 11, 2004, 07:11 GMT
In none of those Universes is maths a science.

Dian, I had opened a thread to discuss the definition of science. I've invited anyone who wishes to come. Nobody came. Here it is.
http://p081.ezboard.com/feuropa2frm34.showMessageRange?topicID=4.topic&start=1&stop=20

I've just been reading a bit of the Wikipedia article that Orion gave us the link to. Here's something interesting that they have to say.

"Science does not and can not produce absolute and unquestionable truth."

Compare this to mathematics. That two and two are four is an absolute and unquestionable truth. Mathematics produces this truth and others like it. Therefore, we'd conclude that maths is not a science.

"Others do not see mathematics as a science, since it does not require experimental test of its theories and hypotheses." I agree with them.
Jim   Monday, June 14, 2004, 07:07 GMT
Mighty Mick gives us the link to "The Nature of Mathematics" where it states "mathematics relies on logic rather than on observation as its standard of truth". This is true and this is why I don't call it a science. The truth or fallicy of an idea in maths can be proven logically. No observation can ever falsify the fact that two plus two equals four.
Might Mick   Monday, June 14, 2004, 07:40 GMT
Abstract Algebra (a 3rd year uni subject) involves an aspect of Maths which requires observation, trial and and error type attempts at finding patterns in systems in order to develop a model.

Take Quadratic equations. They are solveable using a known formula, however in equations where the powers have degrees greater than 2 there is no axiom to automatically spit out a solution. Trial and error attempts, systematic observations of outputs to limits, are required in order to found a solution space (not nec. a solution) if at all possible. They make use of axioms, or maths tools, sure, but this is a science in itself and art. 2+2 =4 is one of those tools called arithmetic.

I didn't want to harp on but since this discussion was opened up again...
Jim   Monday, June 14, 2004, 07:50 GMT
In equations where the powers have degrees greater than two there is an algorithm to spit out an approximation of arbitary precision.

Sorry for dragging this old thread up again.
CG   Monday, June 14, 2004, 08:05 GMT
I recently applied to go to university, and for subjects like Chemistry, the requirements were often "Two or more sciences at A Level, including Maths, not including psychology."

So, to British unis, maths is a science.
Might Mick   Monday, June 14, 2004, 08:09 GMT
"In equations where the powers have degrees greater than two there is an algorithm to spit out an approximation of arbitary precision."

Only very rudimentary ones. E.g. Equations of one variable.
Another E.g. where there are 2 variables in 3 simultaneous equations