Philosophy 2006 Quiz: Coady - "Testimony & Observation"

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cerisebuffalo82

10 Feb 2012

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4 prima facie categories of evidence: observation, deductive inference, inductive inference, and testimony. Hume notes: there is no species of reasoning more common, more useful, and even necessary to human life, than that which is derived from the testimony of men and the reports of eye witnesses and spectators. Hume s theory constitutes a reduction of testimony as a form of evidence or support to the status of a species of inductive inference. Coady s criticism of this reductionist thesis begins by calling attention to a fatal ambiguity in the use of terms like experience and observation in the humean statement of the reductionist thesis. Hume argues that a miracle must be a violation of the laws of nature. Hume means by experience and observation the common experience of mankind. The idea of taking seriously someone else s observations, someone else s experience, already requires us to take their testimony equally seriously.

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A driver is suing the state highway department after an accident on a curved freeway. The driver lost control and crashed into a tree located a short distance from the outside edge of the curved roadway. The driver is claiming that the radius of curvature of the unbanked roadway was too small for the speed limit, causing him to slide outward on the curve and hit the tree. You have been hired as an expert witness for the defense, and have been requested to use your knowledge of physics to testify that the radius of curvature of the roadway is appropriate for the speed limit. State regulations show that the radius of curvature of an unbanked roadway on which the speed limit is must be at least . You build an accelerometer, which is a plumb bob with a protractor that you attach to the roof of your car. An associate riding in your car with you observes that the plumb bob hangs at an angle of from the vertical when the car is driven at a safer speed of on the curve in question. What is your testimony regarding the radius of the curve?

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Introduction. Telescope time is a valuablecommodity in astronomy, so astronomers plan their observationscarefully. One of the first steps is to choose what type ofobservation to make. Recall that three basic types of astronomicalobservation are imaging (taking a photograph of anobject), spectroscopy (spreading an object's light into aspectrum), and timing (measuring how an object's lightvaries with time).

Part A: Sort each of the astronomical questionsbelow into the appropriate bin based on the type of observation youwould need to perform to answer it.

Three Categories: Imagine, Spectroscopy andTiming

The Questions:

1. "What are the major surface features of Mars?"

2. "What is the temperature of Jupiter's atmosphere?"

3. "Does the star Mira vary in brightness?"

4. "How large is the Andromeda Galaxy?"

5. "What is the chemical composition of the Crab Nebula?"

6. "Is the X-ray emission fro the galactic center steady orchanging?"

7. "Is the star Vega moving toward us or away from us?"

8. "Are stars in the Orion Nebula surrounded by dusty disks ofgas?"

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Introduction: Different telescopes areoptimized for observing different wavelengths of light, so anotherconsideration in planning an observation is deciding what type oftelescope to use.

Part B: Each of the following statementsdescribes an astronomical measurement. Place each measurement intothe appropriate bin based on the type of telescope you would use tomake it.

Three Categories: Infrared Telescope, VisibleLight Telescope and X-Ray Telescope

The Statements:

1. Study a dense cloud of cold gas in space.

2. Measure the brightness of a star that is similar to ourSun.

3. Observe the hot (1-million K) gas in the Sun's corona.

4. Obtain a spectrum of sunlight reflected by Mars.

5. Determine the surface temperature of Venus.

6. Look for high-energy radiation from a supernova.

Thank you so much to whoever helps!

4. An open cart on a level surface is rolling without frictionalloss through a vertical downpour of rain, as shown above. As thecart rolls, an appreciable amount of rainwater accumulates in thecart. The speed of the cart will
(A) increase because of conservation of momentum (B) increasebecause of conservation of mechanical energy
(C) decrease because of conservation of momentum (D) decreasebecause of conservation of mechanical energy
(E) remain the same because the raindrops are falling perpendicularto the direction of the cart's motion

9. A child pushes horizontally on a box of mass m which moves withconstant speed v across a horiÂ¬zontal floor. The coefficient offriction between the box and the floor is Âµ. At what rate does thechild do work on the box?
(A) Âµmgv (B) mgv (C) Âµmg/v (D) Âµmg/v (E) Âµmv2

13. Which of the following is true about the net force on anuncharged conducting sphere in a uniform electric field?
(A) It is zero. (B) It is in the direction of the field.
(C) It is in the direction opposite to the field.
(D) It produces a torque on the sphere about the direction of thefield.
(E) It causes the sphere to oscillate about an equilibriumposition.

Philosophy 2006 Quiz: Coady - "Testimony & Observation"

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