Abstract
IT is often found necessary by mathematical physicists to make some generalised assumption which in detail is obviously not in accord with experience and observation. This procedure is, of course, quite legitimate, and much important work has been done with such an assumption implicit throughout ; and so long as it is recognized that it is still no more than this when the mathematical work is done, no exception can be taken. But when a mathematical assumption is brought down from its idealized condition to a pedestrian 'fact of observation', it is time for the 'fact of observation' to be put through its paces.
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Reynolds, J. Observational Evidence for the Distribution of Matter in Space. Nature 140, 387–389 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/140387a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/140387a0