The differences between terminology in the sense of a physical law and the principles of physics can be confusing. If the members of a community – a company, a family, a group – have firmly established principles of trust, there is no need to create rules. People are completely free to act because they know that their behavior and decisions will always meet certain standards. A principle is a rule or mechanism by which certain scientific phenomena work. Principles usually have more requirements or criteria if they can be used. They usually require more explanation to articulate, as opposed to a single universal equation. Working by rules is stressful. Working according to principles is natural and requires no effort. Examples of scientific laws include Boyle`s law on gas, conservation laws, Ohm`s law and others. Laws in other fields of study include Occam`s razor as a principle of philosophy and Say`s law in economics. Examples of observed phenomena often called laws are the Titius-Bode law of planetary positions, Zipf`s linguistic law, Thomas Malthus` population principle or the Malthusian growth model, Moore`s law of technological growth. Other laws are pragmatic and observational, such as the law of unintended consequences. A law is a universal principle that describes the fundamental nature of something, the universal properties and relationships between things, or a description that purports to explain these principles and relationships.

About 5 years ago, when I read the chapter on optics in Feynman`s lectures, I began to wonder why the principle of least time is called a «principle» and not a «law» like Newton`s laws of motion. I have believed for a very long time that this has to do with the origins of the declaration. If the statement/theory comes from observations about nature, we call it a law, like the law of gravity. Instead, when it begins completely theoretically, we tend to call it a principle like the principle of least action. While I still believe in this explanation, I began to appreciate a new perspective I heard in this lecture (the following video begins with the relevant timestamp): For example, is «Archimedes` principle» equivalent to «Archimedes` right»? Heisenberg used the German word «inaccuracy,» which means «inaccuracy» rather than «uncertainty,» to describe what we would call the uncertainty principle. The momentum, the product of the speed and mass of an object and the position are always compromised with each other. Principles and rules can be understood in different ways, so in this article I will refer to principles as «fundamental ideas that govern a person`s thought or behavior» and rules as «what must be respected because it has been agreed within a community». PS: If you have time, watch the entire video (at least 1.5x). David German talks about the stationary model of cosmology; the importance of principle discovery (using the example of the principle of energy conservation); and on his theory of builders.

Take the time to become aware of the principles, values and norms that guide your life and work. And share it with anyone – your team, your partner, your family, your friends. If you want to create something meaningful, base it on principles and forget the rules. A law is an important insight into the nature of the universe. A law can be tested experimentally by taking into account observations about the universe and asking what general rule governs it. Laws can be a set of criteria used to describe phenomena such as Newton`s first law (an object remains at rest or moves at a constant speed unless it is affected by an external force) or an equation such as Newton`s second law (F = ma for net force, mass and acceleration). Laws describe the fundamental interactions and relationships between the things that apply with undeniable certainty. Law-type events are the most likely to occur and their probability is extremely high. One such example is the laws of classical mechanics, which have been observed to apply in all cases. Laws can be so fundamental that they have little or no explanation. While both things determine how you act and make decisions, the rules are imposed from the outside and must be followed to avoid some sort of punishment (a penalty, fine, release, season in jail, etc.), while the principles are internal and require you to do what you think is right or right.

While laws and principles describe these two different ideas in physics, biology, and other disciplines, theories are collections of concepts, laws, and ideas to explain observations of the universe. The theory of evolution and the theory of general relativity describe how species have changed over generations and how massive objects distort space-time through gravity. In most fields of study, particularly in academia, the elevation of a principle in that field to the status of law usually takes place after a very long period of time during which the principle is applied, tested and verified; Although in some fields of study, these laws are simply postulated and adopted as a basis. Mathematical laws fall somewhere in between: they are often arbitrary and inherently unproven, but they are sometimes judged based on their usefulness in making predictions about the real world. Ultimately, however, they rely on arbitrary axioms. Laws are general rules and ideas that adhere to the nature of the universe, while principles describe specific phenomena that require clarity and explanation. Other terms such as theorems, theories, and rules can describe nature and the universe. Understanding the differences between these terms in physics can improve your rhetoric and language when talking about science. Examining the rhetoric behind how scientists communicate tells you more about what they mean when they describe the universe.

Understanding the use of these terms is relevant to understanding their true meaning. Hey, I`m currently working on an essay of TOK (for IB) and I`m wondering what the difference is between laws and principles in science and if the two terms can be used interchangeably. What are also the differences in methodology for developing a law and a principle? Principles are detailed rules/explanations of certain phenomena. For example, principles are needed to adequately describe genetic theory. Principles usually require more detail because they can be provided, unlike laws, which are more fundamental (if not most) characteristics of the universe. The original German word describes the phenomenon more accurately than the word «uncertainty.» The uncertainty principle adds uncertainty to observations based on the inaccuracy of a physicist`s scientific measurements. Because these principles are highly dependent on the context and conditions of the principle, they resemble guiding theories used to make predictions about the phenomena of the universe rather than laws. Rules occur when the principles are not very clear.

Many companies prefer to regulate all aspects of work rather than create a culture based on specific values. The rules are easy to impose («departure at 9am, departure at 5pm»), but the cost of managing them is high. Principles must be developed («always keep customer satisfaction in mind») and lead by example. There are other examples of scientific principles in everyday life. It is impossible to distinguish between a gravitational force and the inertial force, the acceleration force of an object, known as the equivalence principle. It tells you that if you`re in free fall in an elevator, you wouldn`t be able to measure the gravitational force because you wouldn`t be able to distinguish between it and the force pulling you in the opposite direction of gravity.