ThePosterProject

Visualizing Women in Science, Mathematics and Engineering

Poster Texts

What is Scientific Truth?

Can an orange peel be flattened?

How do scientists piece together truths from the apparently ill-fitting truths that nature offers? Like the process of flattening an orange peel, the solution may involve stretching ideas beyond their obvious limits and stitching them back together in unexpected ways. Mathematics offers a universal set of tools for seeing invisible patterns. It is a powerful language for discovering connections among seemingly unrelated facts. Mathematics exposes the bare bones of a problem, stripping off the often misleading facades to expose the underlying structure. Understanding Nature is a neverending process of weaving webs of relationships from facts and theories. Ultimately all must pass the test of experiment.

K.C. Cole - Science Writer.

Answer: YES. But first since it is a curved surface, it must be cut and stretched.

"Science is both empirical and abstract; quantitative and conceptual. In Science, concepts must be falsifiable: a single contradiction between a clear prediction of a theory and a well established fact of Nature proves a theory flawed. A predictive theory that passes such stringent tests is accepted as true."

Steve Kivelson - Physicist.

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