What is Theoretical: Definition and 1000 Discussions
A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may either be scientific or other than scientific (or scientific to less extent). Depending on the context, the results might, for example, include generalized explanations of how nature works. The word has its roots in ancient Greek, but in modern use it has taken on several related meanings.
In modern science, the term "theory" refers to scientific theories, a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature, made in a way consistent with scientific method, and fulfilling the criteria required by modern science. Such theories are described in such a way that scientific tests should be able to provide empirical support for it, or empirical contradiction ("falsify") of it. Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge, in contrast to more common uses of the word "theory" that imply that something is unproven or speculative (which in formal terms is better characterized by the word hypothesis). Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses, which are individual empirically testable conjectures, and from scientific laws, which are descriptive accounts of the way nature behaves under certain conditions.
Theories guide the enterprise of finding facts rather than of reaching goals, and are neutral concerning alternatives among values. A theory can be a body of knowledge, which may or may not be associated with particular explanatory models. To theorize is to develop this body of knowledge.The word theory or "in theory" is sometimes used erroneously by people to explain something which they individually did not experience or test before. In those instances, semantically, it is being substituted for another concept, a hypothesis. Instead of using the word "hypothetically", it is replaced by a phrase: "in theory". In some instances the theory's credibility could be contested by calling it "just a theory" (implying that the idea has not even been tested). Hence, that word "theory" is very often contrasted to "practice" (from Greek praxis, πρᾶξις) a Greek term for doing, which is opposed to theory. A "classical example" of the distinction between "theoretical" and "practical" uses the discipline of medicine: medical theory involves trying to understand the causes and nature of health and sickness, while the practical side of medicine is trying to make people healthy. These two things are related but can be independent, because it is possible to research health and sickness without curing specific patients, and it is possible to cure a patient without knowing how the cure worked.
Hi there! Long time lurker first time poster.
I have to choose a major this year and I was looking at Astrophysics (yes, it is a major at my university) however I was reading the university handbook and in 3rd year (I'm entering my second year now) I have to choose between theoretical and...
Hello dear forum member I wanted to know how about the research on this branch of science.Are many people working on or is it a very very small area because it is too difficult . Are researchers in this area seeking new maths in the short what is the general policy direction of their research
Homework Statement
Field Lines Three Figure 23-64 shows the electric field lines for three point charges separated by a small distance. The two outer charges are identical and the one in the center is different.
Figure 23-64
(a) Determine the ratio, qA / qB, of one of the outer charges...
I'm a high school senior at the moment and am interested in knowing MIT's stance in the theoretical physics community. I've heard it's a bad place for particle theory, but I'm not sure I want to go into that anymore. Recently I've been intrigued by SUSY and (less so) String Theory, but I'm...
Hi everyone,
I'm a 2nd year astrophysics and math student and considering the possibility of pursuing a phd in astrophysics. I'm more interested in theory rather than the observational side of astrophysics. I've heard that grad programs tend to see research experience as much more important...
Hello everyone,
My name is Uri and I have a question.
What jobs are available for those who completed a Ph.D in particle and theoretical physics and made a postdoctorate research in string theory and quantum gravity? What kind of jobs are available to these kind of people besides working...
Science is independent of philosophy, however, Theoretical Physics is not JUST a science and sometimes philosophical arguments are employed. I have noticed that, although I do independent philosophy, I have never studied formal philosophy.
Can any of you recommend me a book on philosophy...
I am going to apply for UK universities for postgraduate.
Why 4 years for M.Sci Theoretical Physics in UK?
4 years full-time Hon M.Phys
How many years for P.hd?
After full time M.sci or M.Phill 4 years I get Hon M.Phys ??
please tell me ?
Some universities offer some combined...
Hello!
I am going to do bachelors in theoretical physics in next year,so I want to know what kind of computer knowledge needs for theoretical physics (I mean even fast typing programming)
Thanks Have a nice day and happy x'mas!
It's suddenly started creeping up on me that the degree is almost over, barely having even started, and I was wondering about internships and things. We've just been sent an email by the department about penultimate year internships, which as I'm on a 4 year course I'm not that far yet. Still...
Dear All,
I'm in the process of looking for a PhD position in Theoretical Physics but I'm unclear about a few things.
1) I still don't really know what I really want to do. The only thing I am sure of is that I want my research to help me in my understanding of ideas which I regard as...
**theoretical linear algebra final in 14 hours***
I have some fundamental questions to ask.1. a linear transformation is invertible iff A is invertible. IS THIS TRUE? (dumb question but my brain hurts and I just need confirmation)
2. if a linear transformation is invertible, then it's an...
I am still a senior in high school and I am goin go to graduate next year and go to university next year.
I was in the career center today and the teacher asked how many students here are pursuing a career in Physics? And a few of us put our hands up.
The teacher said that it is a wise...
Gravitons are still theoretical, of course, but I'm not quite sure how they're supposed to fit into the current picture. If gravity is, in basic terms, caused by the curvature of spacetime around objects with mass, then what role would the theoretical graviton be playing? What comes first, the...
Hi guys. I was surfing threads on this forum once again and i read a line that was like physicists aren't interested in mechanics..or else they'd be engineers.. And in other threads things like physics not being practicle.
This is confounding. Physics..originally something of philosophy, not...
Currently I am back in school taking some math courses to finish an undergraduate degree while getting credit for a master's program in math. I am fairly competent in calculus and did well in the first half of an introductory physics class that I had to withdraw from for other reasons. My long...
Hi, I was wondering if the job-market for a theoretical condensed matter physicist is any better than the other branches of theoretical physics (e.g., particle and astro-physics). At first glance: it seems so, given how applied a branch of physics it is.
i'm on first year of physics studies, but i got a little dilemma - do i want to be a mathematician, or phycist?
I'm thinking about being theoretical physicist - but at the moment - math is much much more interesting to me than physics. I think that may change when i'll start to learn about...
I have become frustrated with modern theoretical physics as of late; because it seems to be slow on the validation of on different physical theories. Of course due to the nature of the field this is completely expected – with where we are today, it is extremely expensive and requires much human...
I did a Hooke's Law lab in class last week and one of the post-experiment questions asks to explain why the graph made should be a straight line and what should the slope and y-intercept be in terms of quantities in this lab? I know that Hooke's Law demonstrates that the amount a spring is...
Which do you think would be better for getting into a theoretical physics program:
-- a 2.5 cumulative gpa with a 3.5 physics gpa
or
-- a 3.0 gpa, both cumulative and physics
Also, if your gpa is around 3.0 (+- 0.2), what are your chances of actually getting into a phd program?
Homework Statement
hey guys i have been undertaking a project on constructing a small scale hydro electricity generation system. I completed my project and was able to generate electricity using a turbine and a genrator, what i need to do now is find theoretical values for the electricity...
I hope to do my bachelors in theoretical physics and after i need to do a job due to my financial problems.So i want to know how about the job opportunities for theoretical physics Bsc in UK and how much do they earn? I heard jobs for theoretical physics Bsc are very rare? is it true...
anybody can help ... i need a topic in theoretical physics ...?!
hello everybody !
how are you everybody ...?!
i wish you are ok ...
at first let me introduce myself ...
i'm a graduated physicist "2009" ...tel aviv university
me and two friends want to do a research in physics "i mean...
Homework Statement
I'm trying to derive an equation which should look like this in the end:
%loss in Kinetic energy= M/m+M*100%, I'm just not sure how to substitute everything, and cancel things out to get the expression. Can someone show me the steps?
Homework Equations
mVi=(M+m)Vf...
1.) When woven material is dry, air will pass directly through. When immersed in water however, clothing can be used to trap air and provide buoyancy.
a.) With the aid of the diagram, explain why this is so?
need help explaining theoreticallly?
b.) Give an eq. which can be used...
Homework Statement
A tennis ball of mass m is held just above a basketball of mass M. Their
centers are vertically aligned. Both are released at the same moment, and
fall a distance of h until the basketball hits the ground, which it rebounds
from elastically, and then undergoes an...
Homework Statement
(x2+1)y"+(2-x2)-(2+x)y=x(x+1)2
given 2 associated homogeneous solution are: ex and 1/x
Homework Equations
this is a question from shaum's outline differential equations chapter on "variation of parameters"
The Attempt at a Solution
so here what i got...
V is a vectoric space.
W_1,W_2\subseteq V\\
W_1\nsubseteq W_2\\
W_2\nsubseteq W_1\\
prove that W_1 \cup W_2 is not a vectoric subspace of V.
i don't ave the shread of idea on how to tackle it
i only know to prove that some stuff is subspace
but constant mutiplication
and by sum of two...
Which branches of theoretical physics are the most likely to find a TOE?
I'm just trying to learn a little about this stuff, but my physics knowledge isn't too deep as I am only a first-year undergrad.
A nudge in the right direction would be appreciated!
A lot of people told me that theoretical physics is boring. But I love it. But if you ask me where is the fantasticality of theoretical physics, comparing to experimental physics or other science, I cannot answer. So can you give me your opinion? Why do you want to be a theoretical physicist?
Hi all
Do you know of any interesting subjects in theoretical solid state physics? Are there any theories that have had a wide impact, e.g. in computers and such?
Thanks in advance,
Hi, if say you are determining the speed of sound and you want to compare your values to the theoretical value, would you predict that your experiment values will be higher or lower than the theoretical value and why?
Hi, if say you are determining the speed of sound and you want to compare your values to the theoretical value, would you predict that your experiment values will be higher or lower than the theoretical value and why?
Could GR's "background independence" be a theoretical artifact?
==quote from Rovelli "Unfinished Revolution" (2006) page 2==
...Others, on the other hand, and in particular some hard–core particle physicists, do not accept the lesson of GR. They read GR as a field theory that can be...
hi,
I am required to search the internet to find out what the theoretical value of the lift slope (dcl/dalpha) is for thin airfoils.
Cl is the lift coefficient and alpha is the angle of attack of the airfoil. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks for your time.
I have just came up with the following idea which can, with the proper equipment and technology, be applied in space in order to produce immense acceleration for a specific body/bodies:
STEP 1:
Number of engined spacecraft s will be placed in one dimension, in equal distances from one to...
Hello, I am a student with a M.Sc. in theoretical physics in search of a PHD. I would like to know which groups in Europe have some relevance in the context of QFT, in particular the problem of the mass in particle physics (no Higgs mechanism), Renormalization Group,.. and General Relativity in...
Is this unheard or a lot of people do such a thing?
I mean if someone like me would like to do research in both areas, but knowing that doing 2 phds is too much (although I have read of a few who have done two phds one in CS and one in maths), I think my compromise would be to do first in pure...
"methods of theoretical physics" vs "normal math classes"
Hey.
I am in a dilemma. Originally, I was going to go the math minor route but I think I am deciding against it mainly because of the structure. I wanted to take an advanced calculus class to prepare myself for EM, but I really want...
What to expect from my class "Theoretical Physics 1"?
I'm starting my major in physics this fall and I'm taking multivariable calculus, mechanics, E & M, and theoretical physics 1.
I pretty much know what to expect from the other 3.
But I'm going into this class "theoretical physics"...
If I'm interested in going to grad school to do theoretical physics how much math am I expected to pick up as an undergrad? I know theory requires a lot more math than experiment but how much more and do I need to do it while I'm still an undergrad or will I be able to pick it up along the way...
Out of curiousity, I am wondering what happens, theoretically of course, if we place a 1.5V AC light bulb (which do not exist) onto a DC circuit with a 1.5V battery? What would happen if we connect this battery backwards on the circuit (positive to the negative terminal and vice versa). This...
If we define Landau's Theoretical Minimum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Landau#The_Landau_School) as roughly understanding ALL of the entire course of theoretical physics by Landau and Lifgarbagez, who thinks they would make the minimum? I know I sure as hell wouldn't. That requirement is...
What are in your opinion the most interesting areas or topics in foundational physics? (that have or could have profound philosophical implications) I want to see what's out there.
Hi all, my situation is as follows:
I'd like to pursue a career in research in the absurdly competitive field of theoretical physics. I'm 3/4 of the way through an MSci in Physics and Maths from Durham in the UK and at present, I'm *JUST* on course for a 1st class degree (Not sure what that is...