Belief

A belief that solid interfaces are easier to understand than liquid ones shifted emphasis to the former but the subjects are not really separable, and the advances in the one are giving impetus to the other. There is increasing interest in films of biological and of liquid crystalline materials because of the importance of thin films in microcircuitry (computer chips ), there has been in recent years a surge of activity in the study of deposited mono- and multilayers. These Langmuir-Blodgett films are discussed in Section XV-7. 

The history of tire diode laser illustrated in figure C2.16.11 shows tire interiDlay of basic device physics ideas and teclmology. A new idea often does not produce a better device right away. It requires a certain leap of faitli to see tire improvement potential. However, once tire belief exists, tire teclmology can be developed to demonstrate its validity. In tire case of diode lasers, tire better teclmology was invariably associated with improved epitaxial growtli. 

Remark. The authors are well aware of the commonly shared belief within the physics MD community that the apparent chaos does not destroy all long term information, but only irrelevant information in particular, average quantities are supposed to be not sensitive to numerical perturbations. We do not aim at deciding about this fundamental question here. 

When we talk about knowledge of the physical world, we generally refer to facts derived from systematic observation, study, and experimentation as well as the concepts and theories based on these facts. This is contrasted with belief (faith, intuition) in the spiritual or supernatural. 

The scientific method, as mentioned, involves observation and experimentation (research) to discover or establish facts. These are followed by deduction or hypothesis, establishing theories or principles. This sequence, however, may be reversed. The noted twentieth-century philosopher Karl Popper, who also dealt with science, expressed the view that the scientist s work starts not with collection of data (observation) but with selection of a suitable problem (theory). In fact, both of these paths can be involved. vSignificant and sometimes accidental observations can be made without any preconceived idea of a problem or theory and vice versa. The scientist, however, must have a well-prepared, open mind to be able to recognize the significance of such observations and must be able to follow them through. Science always demands rigorous standards of procedure, reproducibility, and open discussion that set reason over irrational belief. 

Science develops ever more rigorous standards of procedure and evaluation for setting reason aside from irrational belief. Flowever,... 

It IS worth remembering that a theory can never be proven correct It can only be proven incor rect incomplete or inadequate Thus theories are always being tested and refined As important as anything else in the scientific method is the testable hypothesis Once a theory is proposed experiments are designed to test its validity If the results are con sistent with the theory our belief in its soundness is strengthened If the results conflict with it the theory IS flawed and must be modified Section 6 7 describes some observations that support the theory that car bocations are intermediates in the addition of hydro gen halides to alkenes... 

Our belief that carbocations are intermediates m the addition of hydrogen halides to alkenes is strengthened by the fact that rearrangements sometimes occur For example the reaction of hydrogen chloride with 3 methyl 1 butene is expected to produce 2 chloro 3 methylbutane Instead a mixture of 2 chloro 3 methylbutane and 2 chloro 2 methylbutane results... 

Our word vitamin was coined m 1912 m the belief that the substances present m the diet that prevented scurvy pellagra beriberi rickets and other diseases were vital amines In many cases that belief was confirmed certain vitamins did prove to be amines In many other cases however vitamins were not amines Nevertheless the name vitamin entered our language and stands as a reminder that early chemists recognized the crucial place occupied by amines m biological processes... 

At the outset, we were faced with the difficult decision whether to use the Angstrom unit or the nanometre for the dimensions of molecules. After careful consideration, we have come down firmly in favour of the Angstrom and we believe that this decision will meet with the approval of the majority of our readers. When quoting graphs and tables of data from the literature, we have retained the original units (kcal, Torr, C, tonin, etc.) in the belief that it is more reasonable to state the data in the form used by the original author—except where comparisons are being made between results presented in different units. 

A one-factor-at-a-time optimization is consistent with a commonly held belief that to determine the influence of one factor it is necessary to hold constant all other factors. This is an effective, although not necessarily an efficient, experimental design when the factors are independent. Two factors are considered independent when changing the level of one factor does not influence the effect of changing the other factor s level. Table 14.1 provides an example of two independent factors. When factor B is held at level Bi, changing factor A from level Ai to level A2 increases the response from 40 to 80 thus, the change in response, AR, is... 

From a statistical viewpoint, there is often little to choose between power law and hyperbohc equations as representations of data over an experimental range. The fact, however, that a particular hyperbolic equation is based on some land of possible mechanism may lead to a belief that such an equation may be extrapolated more safely outside the experimental range, although there may be no guarantee that the controlling mechanism will remain the same in the extrapolated region. 

The task force must be capable of identifying pollution reduc tion alternatives as well as be cognizant of inherent obstacles to the process. Barriers frequently arise from the anxiety associated with the belief that the program will negatively affect produc t quality or result in production losses. According to an EPA survey, 30 percent of indus-tiy comments responded that they were concerned that product qualify would decline if waste minimization techniques were implemented (Ref. 6). As such, the assessment team, and the team leader in particular, must be ready to react to these and other concerns (Ref. 2fy... 

Quantitative risk analysis is a forecast concerning the degree of belief associated with the occurrence of future events. It normally focuses on those classes of events that are rarely expected to occur at a facility. However, because the potential consequences of such events may be so great, the possibility that the events could occur at all gives rise to concern. When a QRA generates results that reflect a very small likelihood of an event and confirm the suspicion that the event could have a severe impact, these questions inevitably arise What does it all mean What should I do about it ... 

Probability in Bayesian inference is interpreted as the degree of belief in the truth of a statement. The belief must be predicated on whatever knowledge of the system we possess. That is, probability is always conditional, p(X l), where X is a hypothesis, a statement, the result of an experiment, etc., and I is any information we have on the system. Bayesian probability statements are constructed to be consistent with common sense. This can often be expressed in tenns of a fair bet. As an example, I might say that the probability that it will rain tomorrow is 75%. This can be expressed as a bet I will bet 3 that it will rain tomorrow, if you give me 4 if it does and nothing if it does not. (If I bet 3 on 4 such days, I have spent 12 I expect to win back 4 on 3 of those days, or 12). 

The differential reactor is the second from the left. To the right, various ways are shown to prepare feed for the differential reactor. These feeding methods finally lead to the recycle reactor concept. A basic misunderstanding about the differential reactor is widespread. This is the belief that a differential reactor is a short reactor fed with various large quantities of feed to generate various small conversions. In reality, such a system is a short integral reactor used to extrapolate to initial rates. This method is similar to that used in batch reactor experiments to estimate... 

I hereby certify that i have reviewed the attached documents and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the submitted niormation is vje a c complete and that the amounts and values in this report are accurate based on reasonable estimates usir>g data avaiiaoe to tne oreoarers o tms eocrt... 

---