Grinbaum, Alexei (2017) The Effectiveness of Mathematics in Physics of the Unknown. [Preprint]

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Abstract

If physics is a science that unveils the fundamental laws of nature, then the appearance of mathematical concepts in its language can be surprising or even mysterious. This was Eugene Wigner's argument in 1960. I show that another approach to physical theory accommodates mathematics in a perfectly reasonable way. To explore unknown processes or phenomena, one builds a theory from fundamental principles, employing them as constraints within a general mathematical framework. The rise of such theories of the unknown, which I call blackbox models, drives home the unsurprising effectiveness of mathematics. I illustrate it on the examples of Einstein's principle theories, the $S$-matrix approach in quantum field theory, effective field theories, and device-independent approaches in quantum information.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Grinbaum, Alexei alexei.grinbaum@cea.fr 0000-0002-7484-1553
Keywords:	Mathematics; physics; Wigner; Einstein; principle theory; S-matrix; effective field theory; device-independence; unknown
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User:	Alexei Grinbaum
Date Deposited:	11 Jul 2017 14:18
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2017 14:18
Item ID:	13191
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.1007/s11229-017-1490-0
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date:	2017
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13191

Available Versions of this Item

• The Effectiveness of Mathematics in Physics of the Unknown. (deposited 31 Mar 2017 14:18)
  • The Effectiveness of Mathematics in Physics of the Unknown. (deposited 04 Jul 2017 20:32)
    • The Effectiveness of Mathematics in Physics of the Unknown. (deposited 11 Jul 2017 14:18) [Currently Displayed]

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