Abstract
Mathematical theories are essential for explanations in physics, chemistry andengineering. These theories often incorporate functions that are defined by theirrelation to other variables in the theory but not with reference to experimentalobservations. The wave function in quantum mechanics is perhaps one of thebest known example of such function, even though classical theories also providemany examples of such functions. These functions, which seem to hang in thin airdisconnected to experimental data, offer a daunting challenge to the instructor. Inthis article we consider the epistemic status of such functions and a method ofintroducing them to the students, a method that does not distort the original theory.We build our model for explanation on Hempel's analysis of relation between theoryand experiment and refine it further to show their roles in concept formation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brush, S.G.: 1974, 'Should the History of Science be Rated X?', Science 183(4130), 1164-1172.
Dirac, P.A.B.: 1972, Fields and Quanta 3(2), 139-164.
Feynman, R.P., Leighton, R.B. &; Sands, M.: 1965, The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. 3, p. 1-1, Addison-Wesley, Reading.
Frank, P.: 1947, 'The Place of Philosophy of Science in the Curriculum of the Physics Student', American Journal of Physics 15(3), 202-218. Reprinted in his Modern Science and its Philosophy, Harvard University Press, Harvard, 1950, pp, 228–259.
Hempel, C.G.: 1956, Fundamentals of Concept Formation in Empirical Science, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Lindsay, R.B. &; Margenau, H.: 1936, Foundations of Physics, John Wiley &; Sons, New York.
Matzkin, A.: 2002, 'Realism and the Wavefunctions', European Journal of Physics 23(3), 285-294.
Oxtoby, D.W., Gilles, H.P. &; Nachtrieb, N.H.: 1999, Principles of Modern Chemistry, 4th ed., Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth, Texas.
Perry, J. &; Bratman, M. (eds.): 1993, Introduction to Philosophy, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Rukeyser, M.: 1964, Willard Gibbs, Dutton, New York.
Scerri, E.R.: 2000, 'The Failure of Reduction and How to Resist Disunity of Sciences in the Context of Chemical Education', Science and Education 9(5), 405-425.
Scerri, E.R.: 2000, 'On Recently Claimed Observation of Atomic Orbitals and Some Related Philosophical Issues', Philosophy of Science (Supplement) 68(3), 76-89.
Vemulapalli, G.K.: 1993, Physical Chemistry, Prentice-Hall, Englewood-Cliffs, N.J.
Weiss, H.M.: 2001, 'Developing Intuitive Understanding of Free Energy', Journal of Chemical Education 78(10), 1362-1364.
Wood, S.E. &; Battino, R.: 2001, 'Explaining Entropy Pictorially', Journal of Chemical Education 78(3), 311-312
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vemulapalli, G.K., Byerly, H.C. Carl Hempel's Philosophy of Science: How to Avoid Epistemic Discontinuity and Pedagogical Pitfalls. Science & Education 13, 85–98 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SCED.0000018498.92528.16
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SCED.0000018498.92528.16