Reference Quote

Shuffle

Similar Quotes

Quote search results. More quotes will automatically load as you scroll down, or you can use the load more buttons.

It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong.

It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is ... If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong.

Unlimited Quote Collections

Organize your favorite quotes without limits. Create themed collections for every occasion with Premium.

One of the most important things in this 'guess — compute consequences — compare with experiment' business is to know when you are right. It is possible to know when you are right way ahead of checking all the consequences. You can recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity. It is always easy when you have made a guess, and done two or three little calculations to make sure that it is not obviously wrong, to know that it is right. When you get it right, it is obvious that it is right — at least if you have any experience — because usually what happens is that more comes out than goes in. Your guess is, in fact, that something is very simple. If you cannot see immediately that it is wrong, and it is simpler than it was before, then it is right. The inexperienced, the crackpots, and people like that, make guesses that are simple, but you can immediately see that they are wrong, so that does not count. Others, the inexperienced students, make guesses that are very complicated, and it sort of looks as if it is all right, but I know it is not true because the truth always turns out to be simpler than you thought.

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong

In general we look for a new law by the following process. First we guess it. Then we compute the consequences of the guess to see what would be implied if this law that we guessed is right. Then we compare the result of the computation to nature, with experiment or experience, compare it directly with observation, to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It does not make any difference how beautiful your guess is. It does not make any difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is – if it disagrees with experiment it is wrong. That is all there is to it.

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only of how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

Share Your Favorite Quotes

Know a quote that's missing? Help grow our collection.

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty........ but
when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is
wrong.

In general, we look for a new law by the following process: First we guess it; then we compute the consequences of the guess to see what would be implied if this law that we guessed is right; then we compare the result of the computation to nature, with experiment or experience, compare it directly with observation, to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It does not make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it does not make any difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is — if it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong.

Limited Time Offer

Premium members can get their quote collection automatically imported into their Quotewise collections.

I can't talk on behalf of Nassim Taleb, as I am sharing his wisdom on the Twitter account. What I understand from him is that it doesn't matter whether the prediction is right or wrong if one doesn't have skin in the game. - Cetin, curator of @TalebWisdom account.

@learnfromerror I can't talk on behalf of Nassim Taleb, as I am sharing his wisdom on the Twitter account. What I understand from him is that it doesn't matter whether the prediction is right or wrong if one doesn't have skin in the game. - Cetin, curator of @TalebWisdom account.

Loading more quotes...

Loading...