Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Physics/Archive September 2007

message: Would it be possible for someone fluent with Optical Coatings to have a look at One-way Glass? It would be helpful to have the input from an expert on what the actual reflective substances are in this case and how they are applied to the glass. Also, I admit that I tend to understand its use from a Security point of view and balance is required in the article. Exit2DOS2000•T•C• 07:44, 3 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: A quick glance didn't find anything out of place with it. The coating is usually a thin layer of metal (formerly silver, generally aluminum now, I think). If it's thin enough, it passes some fraction of the light that strikes it. Viewers on the bright side do receive light from the dim room; it's just swamped by the light reflected from the bright room. Viewers on the dim side see both transmitted bright-side light and reflected dim-side light, but as there's very little of the latter, the light from the bright room is what's mostly seen. --Christopher Thomas 03:36, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

text: Thanks for the input. Exit2DOS2000•T•C• 03:45, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  One-way Glass 

message: True mass
:Someone's asking for comments on this article at the astronomy wikiprojects. I thought you guys might also want a look. 132.205.44.5 23:45, 26 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[True mass]] 

message: I'd appreciate some comments on the lead of Physics.  It looks like a big mess to me, and I'm not sure where to start on improvements.  For example, the first paragraph reads:
:Physics is the science of matterR. P. Feynman, R. B. Leighton, M. Sands (1963), The Feynman Lectures on Physics,  Hard-cover. p.1-1 Feynman begins with the atomic hypothesis. and its motion—the science that deals with concepts such as force, energy, mass, and charge. It is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the world around us behaves.
H.D. Young & R.A. Freedman, University Physics with Modern Physics: 11th Edition: International Edition (2004), Addison Wesley. Chapter 1, section 1.1, page 2 has this to say: "Physics is an experimental science. Physicists observe the phenomena of nature and try to find patterns and principles that relate these phenomena. These patterns are called physical theories or, when they are very well established and of broad use, physical laws or principles."
Here the 2nd sentence is more a definition of science than physics (as the footnote clearly indicates).  
There are other problems, but I haven't been able to make much headway with the authors, who recently replaced the previous lead with other major, perhaps questionable, edits to the article.  The previous lead was inadequate, but I'm not sure the new one is an improvement.  The guys who put in the new lead are well-intentioned and friendly, but seem prone to philosophical diversions.  Any help would be appreciated.  Please let me know if I'm being overly critical.  Gnixon 01:20, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Is not physics the catch-all science — physics is all the science which is not part of some specific science such as: chemistry, biology, geology, economics, etc.. JRSpriggs 02:11, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: That implies biology and economics are somehow subfields or outgrowths of physics.  I think scientists in those fields would disagree.  :)  Gnixon 04:59, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: There is a tension here between the concept of the field of physics as a human endeavor and a more philosophical view of the science. You can't really argue that biology isn't encapsulated in physics in the sense that all biological systems must also obey the laws of physics, while there are plenty of things that don't operate under the principles of biology(electrons for example). On the other hand, it's pretty clear that there are separate scientific fields of physics and biology and being an expert on physics doesn't get you far in knowledge of biology. So the definition of physics should capture these dual features. Joshua Davis 17:30, 28 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Physics lead