Newton developed laws of motion and gravitation which controlled physics for 200 years because of their explanatory and analytical supremacy. Then slight inconsistencies were discovered, which Einstein's theory of relativity explained perfectly. The end result was a paradigm shift from Newton's force of gravity in a flat, infinite universe to Einstein's curved space-time.
However, Newton was really close to Einseteinean physics, his predictions were really approximated. Einstein’s theory punched a hole in Newton’s logic.
If, as Newton claimed, gravity was a constant, instantaneous force, the information about a sudden change of mass would have to be somehow communicated across the entire universe at once. This made little sense to Einstein. By his reasoning, if the Sun disappeared suddenly, the signal for the planets to stop orbiting would logically have to take some travel time. And it would definitely take longer to arrive at Pluto than it would Mars. Nothing universally instant about that at all.
Sir Isaac Newton quantified the gravity between two objects when he formulated his three laws of motion. Yet Newton's laws assume that gravity is an innate force of an object that can act over a distance.
This is an example of an important type of paradigm shift: the new paradigm explains more things, and from it the old one can be derived as a consequence, a special case, or an approximation. Such new truths do not nullify old truths, but include them.
This case also demonstrates the importance of precision. Discrepancies can be hidden in imprecise measurements: as technology improves and precision increases, the room for error shrinks and our confidence in our theories rises greatly. Newtonian physics was close to the truth, but increasingly precise data showed up its limitations; now the confirmation of Einsteinian physics is very precise indeed.
However, Newton was really close to Einseteinean physics, his predictions were really approximated. Einstein’s theory punched a hole in Newton’s logic.
If, as Newton claimed, gravity was a constant, instantaneous force, the information about a sudden change of mass would have to be somehow communicated across the entire universe at once. This made little sense to Einstein. By his reasoning, if the Sun disappeared suddenly, the signal for the planets to stop orbiting would logically have to take some travel time. And it would definitely take longer to arrive at Pluto than it would Mars. Nothing universally instant about that at all.
Sir Isaac Newton quantified the gravity between two objects when he formulated his three laws of motion. Yet Newton's laws assume that gravity is an innate force of an object that can act over a distance.
This is an example of an important type of paradigm shift: the new paradigm explains more things, and from it the old one can be derived as a consequence, a special case, or an approximation. Such new truths do not nullify old truths, but include them.
This case also demonstrates the importance of precision. Discrepancies can be hidden in imprecise measurements: as technology improves and precision increases, the room for error shrinks and our confidence in our theories rises greatly. Newtonian physics was close to the truth, but increasingly precise data showed up its limitations; now the confirmation of Einsteinian physics is very precise indeed.