On Monday, 22 June 2015 09:44:02 UTC+1, Col wrote:
"RedAcer" wrote in message
...
On 21/06/15 15:02, Col wrote:
Dawlish wrote:
There's no 'right' and no wrong in science, as I've attested to on
here any times.there is no proof, though deniers want there to be.
The best you'll get is a consensus amongst scientists. In this case,
the consensus is huge, at 99.9% in the latest literature survey. What
does that suggest about CO2 being the major cause of global warming.

A good analogy is gravity. The theory of gravity is not proven and
never will be. However, if I was stood under a falling piano, I'd be
inclined to do my best to get out of the way. A denier, however would
be still telling anyone in hearing distance that the theory is a
bunch of crap. Right up to the end. ??

In the instance of gravity, how much proof do you want??

We know how it works,

Do we?

Yes.
We can throw spacecraft around planets and they always go where we
want them to, they don't crash into the planet or go flying off into space
in the wrong direction because somebdy got the equations wrong.

we know what the equations are. We can
'slingshot' spaceprobes around planets in order to accelerate them.
And lo and behold the probes end up where we want them.

Yes you can use the equations of Newtonian gravity and calculate these
trajectories with sufficient accuracy in the solar system, but not in a
strong gravitational field where you have to use the more accurate
theory of general relativity, where gravity is modelled not as a force
but as the curvature of spacetime.

I am well aware of the limitations of Newtonian physics.


How could we do that if the theory wasn't 'proven'?
Newtonian gravity was proven to be wrong ~100 years ago.

But only *wrong* where relativistic principles become significant.
Newtonian gravity works for us in most instances, and where it
doesn't we know how to calculate it.

Einstein didn't replace Newton's theories, he merely built upon them.
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl
Snow videos:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QvmL4UWBmHFMKWiwYm_gg

We know its there and always has been and we (not me) know how to calculate its effects but that is a a far cry from understanding how it works. If we (not me) knew how it worked then there is every conceivable chance it could be negated making leaving this planet with heavy pay loads and travel on earth in general, a darn sight easier than it now. Anti gravity like fusion is another one of those mysterious holy grails