If special rel. and gen. rel. are false how is that useful to know?

[Genecks]

Let's say I've witnessed an event to where I've seen general relativity and special relativity falsified. Knowing that these theories are false, how is that useful? Would that mean there is another theory if not paradigm shift to discover?

 

At the same time, however, I continue to believe in the paradigm of thought that anything can be mathematically described; however, the mathematical universe hypothesis is not absolutely valid.

[Mordred]

Could mean GR needs adapting or you didn't correctly apply GR. Without further detail one cannot say. Keep in mind how well tested GR is.

The latter part is accurate, mathematics is a tool of modelling. If evidence comes along that the math doesn't support the mathematics can and does change. Good example is the FLRW metrics before the discovery of the cosmological constant aka dark energy. The problem is most people and older articles don't include the later versions of a metric. Leads to confusion.

 

For example older cosmological textbooks used to use conformal distance. This is pre cosmological constant. Now the FLRW metric uses commoving distance.

 

GR and SR also adapts though I'm not as familiar with its evolution in the last 80 years.

[Travis Hallet]

Is this all hypothesis or have you really witnessed an event that disproves one of the most intelligent human being life's work?

Edited May 19, 2015 by Travis Hallet

[StringJunky]

...

At the same time, however, I continue to believe in the paradigm of thought that anything can be mathematically described; however, the mathematical universe hypothesis is not absolutely valid.

 

It's always a work-in-progress, so it's unlikely to be absolutely valid. The main thing is that it's useful.

Edited May 19, 2015 by StringJunky

[ajb]

We already know that general relativity is 'false' in the sense that it is not a complete theory. At some energy scale we would expect to see results that are not handled the classical theory. Now, more interesting would be the theory not holding when we expect it to. Hopefully any such derivations from the expected would point at new physics and give hints on the quantum theory of gravity. It would be a very exciting and important discovery.

[swansont]

Let's say I've witnessed an event to where I've seen general relativity and special relativity falsified. Knowing that these theories are false, how is that useful? Would that mean there is another theory if not paradigm shift to discover?

Yes. We would have to figure out the happy accident of why e.g. GPS works even though the underlying model is false.

 

At the same time, however, I continue to believe in the paradigm of thought that anything can be mathematically described; however, the mathematical universe hypothesis is not absolutely valid.

"mathematical universe hypothesis"?

[ajb]

Yes. We would have to figure out the happy accident of why e.g. GPS works even though the underlying model is false.

One would expect that at the scales involved in GPS the corrections would be small and would be covered by systematic errors. I guess the GPS system can give us some bounds on the post-Newtonian parameters and can rule out some theories of gravity. However, there is probably better bounds from cosmology.

[Strange]

Let's say I've witnessed an event to where I've seen general relativity and special relativity falsified. Knowing that these theories are false, how is that useful? Would that mean there is another theory if not paradigm shift to discover?

 

If there were specific evidence that was not in agreement with relativity, then it would be useful because that evidence could point to what new physics is required.