Today, we conceive of all particles, from the massive quarks to the massless photon, as have a dual wave/particle nature. Hundreds of years ago, only particles were considered. But in 1818, waves would make an astounding comeback based on the investigation of the nature of light. (NASA/SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY/AURORE SIMONNET)

The Greatest Mistake In The History Of Physics

Never draw a conclusion, no matter how ‘obvious,’ without doing the experiment first.

We all love our most cherished ideas about how the world and the Universe works. Our conception of reality is often inextricably intertwined with our ideas of who we are. But to be a scientist is to be prepared to doubt all of it each and every time we put it to the test. All it takes is one observation, measurement, or experiment that conflicts with the predictions of your theory, and you have to consider revising or throwing out your picture of reality. If you can reproduce that scientific test and show, convincingly, that it is inconsistent with the prevailing theory, you’ve set the stage for a scientific revolution. But if you aren’t willing to put your theory or assumption to the test, you might just make the greatest mistake in the history of physics.

“Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica”, third edition (1726), by Isaac Newton in the John Rylands Library in Manchester, UK. Newton’s treatises on topics such as mechanics, gravity, and light were foundational for much of modern physics. (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS USER PAUL HERMANS)

It’s human nature to have heroes: people we look up to, admire, and aspire to be like. In physics, the greatest hero for many centuries was Isaac Newton. Newton represented the pinnacle of the scientific achievements of humanity. His theory of universal gravitation described…