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computablyyesterday at 4:56 PM1 replyview on HN

> We fit continuous theories to discrete measurements--and the good ones fit really well!--but until we can measure it how can we actually know?

Well, physicists came up with quantum mechanics because they found a way to distinguish a genuinely discrete phenomenon.

Understanding the physical universe overlaps with a subset of math. It shouldn't constrain the abstract tools which may or may not one day be useful for that understanding.


Replies

jcgrilloyesterday at 5:54 PM

I agree that continuity (and therefore infinity) are really useful tools. But it may also be useful to develop mathematical formalism that hews more closely to that which we can actually observe. Or not! But if nobody investigates we'll never know.