Abstract
In this paper I examine some of the roles that experiment plays in science. One of its important roles is to test theories, but it can also call for a new theory, either by showing that the accepted theory is incorrect, or by exhibiting a new phenomenon that needs explanation. Experiment can also provide hints toward the structure or mathematical form of a theory. It can also provide evidence for the existence of the entities involved in our theories. Finally, it may also have a life of its own, independent of theory. I will illustrate these roles using episodes from the history of contemporary physics including: 1) the discovery of parity nonconservation; 2) the discovery of Bose-Einstein condensation; 3) the demonstration that the “Fifth Force,” a proposed modification of Newton’s Law of Gravitation, did not exist; and 4) the discovery of the electron by J. J. Thomson. I will also discuss an epistemology of experiment, a set of strategies that provides grounds for reasonable belief in experimental results.
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Franklin, A. The Roles of Experiment. Phys. perspect. 1, 35–53 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s000160050004
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s000160050004