Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46656
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46656
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Q: Do we write down problems that we address using the scientific method?

A: Yes. We dump all this information on static media all the time, both for our benefit and for the benefit of others. We do so not only because our brain is limited, but because sharing data, storing information and reproducibility of experiments are all key elements of progress.

* * *

Consider the general case of a scientific problem, in which you have spent time clarifying in your head what the observables are, what the assumptions are, what the model is and what experiments you need to perform to verify your model.

You can now retain all this information in your head, and it will only be useful to you as long as you can remember it. Alternatively you can write it down and share it with others, or with your future self.

A good writeup:

- automatically highlights the differences between the new and the previous models;
- implicitly indicates the experiment that would most discriminate between the two models;
- suggests what observables you should collect in such experiment;
- allows you to pass this information to others in a manner that that they could replicate your experiment and obtain your results.

In doing so you have helped all of us, and while we may never ascertain truth using such approach, we can still try to remove errors.

Original score: 1