Science

Jim__

(15,185 posts)

73. It is a disputed quote from Lord Kelvin.

Reply to truedelphi (Reply #70)

Thu Jan 2, 2014, 01:49 PM

Jan 2014

From wikiquotes:

There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.

Although reportedly from an address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1900), the quote is only duplicated without citation to any primary source in various books, including Superstring : A theory of everything? (1988) by Paul Davies and Julian Brown; also in Rebuilding the Matrix : Science and Faith in the 21st Century (2003) by Denis Alexander. To be more credible, a source prior to the 1980s and close to 1900 is needed.
Confusion may be due to Michelson who made a similar quote whilst mentioning Lord Kelvin: In 1894, Albert A. Michelson remarked that in physics there were no more fundamental discoveries to be made. Quoting Lord Kelvin, he continued, “An eminent physicist remarked that the future truths of physical science are to be looked for in the sixth place of decimals.

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Five things that modern science cannot explain: [View all] truedelphi Dec 2013 OP

Placebo NoOneMan Dec 2013 #1

Not science... Mystery mongering. longship Dec 2013 #2

Placebo is not "Long ago figured out" Maraya1969 Dec 2013 #4

"depending on your beliefs" longship Dec 2013 #7

No, placebo is not "the null effect", placebo is not "doing nothing" bananas Dec 2013 #32

Fine! If you get malaria, treat it with a placebo. longship Dec 2013 #33

You've likely been treated with placebos many times bananas Dec 2013 #37

Not for malaria, they don't. longship Dec 2013 #39

Wow - you've said so many things that are flat-out wrong bananas Dec 2013 #63

Thank you for carrying on such a good fight. truedelphi Jan 2014 #79

Coming up with an explanation is not figuring it out zeemike Dec 2013 #11

Straw man. longship Dec 2013 #17

Actually there have been cases where the placebo effect helped people with cancer. truedelphi Dec 2013 #24

If you get cancer I do not recommend that you give that a try. longship Dec 2013 #30

Well I don't know anything about the placebo effect. zeemike Dec 2013 #27

Gees! Not the memory of water rubbish again. longship Dec 2013 #31

Well really you make my case. zeemike Dec 2013 #44

The difference is that physicists do not just make shit up. longship Dec 2013 #45

You mean like string theory? zeemike Dec 2013 #46

It's condemned as woo because there is no supporting science. longship Dec 2013 #47

And that IS the point...they are condemned as woo. zeemike Dec 2013 #48

This is a very common trait of woo proponents. longship Dec 2013 #49

Saying that science does not know everything is not maligning it. zeemike Dec 2013 #50

And what was the name of that physicist who said, back in 1898, or 1899, that truedelphi Jan 2014 #70

I think it is a problem of ego. zeemike Jan 2014 #71

I'd love a link to that new theory. truedelphi Jan 2014 #74

Sure no problem. zeemike Jan 2014 #75

Thank you greatly. When I saw the depiction of the serpent that eats its own tail, truedelphi Jan 2014 #77

A patent office administrator said that about inventions, not science mathematic Jan 2014 #72

It is a disputed quote from Lord Kelvin. Jim__ Jan 2014 #73

The Memory of water: Lordquinton Dec 2013 #36

I went to a fire walking seminar once and at the end we all walked on hot red coals. Maraya1969 Dec 2013 #51

Anybody can firewall. longship Dec 2013 #53

It takes a special mindset by the person who is walking and if you do not have that Maraya1969 Dec 2013 #54

Nope. Heat conductivity. longship Dec 2013 #55

After you do it I will believe you. Talk is easy and often filled with crap. Maraya1969 Dec 2013 #59

Good analogy, and good explanation. Chemisse Dec 2013 #66

At least one devoted fire walker would agree with you. truedelphi Jan 2014 #80

Well, my problem is not lack of callous. longship Jan 2014 #81

Yes this is not a very good list. Exultant Democracy Dec 2013 #15

Interesting A Little Weird Dec 2013 #3

The moving rocks are pretty cool - and what make them cooler... reACTIONary Dec 2013 #8

here you go d_r Dec 2013 #9

I apologize for one person's rude behavior toward you. I like the article. Maraya1969 Dec 2013 #5

I know. I wondering just how many people I'm going to have to put on ignore today. liberal_at_heart Dec 2013 #40

Oh it has happened to me too and I bet quite a few others. Maraya1969 Dec 2013 #52

They have been figured out by science. Vashta Nerada Dec 2013 #6

This thread should be locked. This is creationist type crap. alp227 Dec 2013 #10

Thanks for the link to the moving rocks. truedelphi Dec 2013 #26

The genetic evidence conclusively refutes your belief gcomeau Dec 2013 #35

So you are saying that this endogenous retroviral insertion makes humans like primates. truedelphi Dec 2013 #57

Insertions. Plural. gcomeau Dec 2013 #60

You're making a nice analogy. One I can follow. truedelphi Dec 2013 #61

Well... gcomeau Dec 2013 #64

Of course, there sometimes seems to be an entire branch of human beings who truedelphi Dec 2013 #65

Lets start with gravity. Sure we have the inverse square law to descibe geckosfeet Dec 2013 #12

I got an "A" on the electronics quiz: truedelphi Dec 2013 #28

Bull hockey. Biggest load o crap i have been subjected to in quite some time. geckosfeet Dec 2013 #38

Hoo boy! Where to start... longship Dec 2013 #41

I went to a rather small school and had already written a physics paper on all that. truedelphi Dec 2013 #56

Fine. longship Dec 2013 #58

This message was self-deleted by its author Chemisse Dec 2013 #67

Yes! Thirties Child Jan 2014 #76

Yeah, but what about the tides Betsy Ross Dec 2013 #13

the tide goes in, the tide goes out awoke_in_2003 Dec 2013 #14

And fucking magnets! Scootaloo Dec 2013 #18

The one and only comment on that page does a great job debunking it: TekGryphon Dec 2013 #16

the pipes... iamthebandfanman Dec 2013 #20

This bullshit again? stopbush Dec 2013 #19

Very cool. Phlem Dec 2013 #21

okay now, each in succession: Deep13 Dec 2013 #22

Thank you. truedelphi Dec 2013 #25

The only thing science cannot explain skepticscott Dec 2013 #23

Actually, the psychology of that is pretty well understood. Deep13 Dec 2013 #34

Hear hear! defacto7 Dec 2013 #43

What about Sharknado? Unknown Beatle Dec 2013 #29

Bummer. I was really jazzed by the idea pnwest Dec 2013 #42

If there were adequate explanations for everything Bradical79 Dec 2013 #62

This article is full of inaccuracies, misquotes, and wild speculation mindquaker Dec 2013 #68

welcome to du gopiscrap Dec 2013 #69

Why did you copy, word for word, another poster's reply Heddi Jan 2014 #78