Another note about simulations
I mentioned this previously, but this came up again.
Here is a diagram from a resource letter on
computational physics:
The idea represented is that somehow simulations are different than theory and experiment. Read on for my response to the editor. I am posting it here because I doubt it will be published.
The idea represented is that somehow simulations are different than theory and experiment. Read on for my response to the editor. I am posting it here because I doubt it will be published.
Dear Editor,
Before I make my point, I would like to tell a story. Suppose there is a group of table makers. They classify themselves as table designers and table builders. One day, some builders start using power tools to build tables. They then claim that there are three "classes" of table makers with power-tool builders being the new class. Are there really three types of table people? No, essentially the power-tool builders are doing the same thing as the normal table builders but just using different tools. They can do some things better, like drilling holes. Some things they can't do as well, like fine carvings. Are the power-tool builders important? Yes. Should they have special classes on power-tools? Yes.
Hopefully, my story can be compared to "three disciplines" of physics that allow us to explore the truth (figure 1 in the resource letter). Simulations are very important in physics, but they are not different than theoretical calculations. Just as the power-tool builders used different methods to build tables, so do the simulators. I think this can be ascribed to the fundamental ideas of science. What is science all about? Science is about building and testing models. We (as scientists) observe phenomena through experiments and try to create models that agree with the observed evidence. How does one create a model? The model could be created using vector calculus or a numerical calculation or any number of "tools". Computational methods are tools.
Computational physics is an extremely important aspect of science, but it is not a third discipline. It is part of the theoretical discipline. If we continue to include simulation as a third discipline, then I propose a fourth—"thought experiments". Shouldn't this also be represented?
