how do scientists confirm things like the universe is expanding rather than contracting?
In: Physics
Ideally, scientists would like to confirm or deny hypothesis through setting up experiments. Having a high level of control over experiments allows them to sus out what details are import and what are irrelevant.
This isn’t always possible. It’s not like scientists can set up orbiting stars in their lab to confirm or deny the existence of gravitational waves. The next best thing is for scientist to collect data, make a hypothesis that fits that data, then look to see if new observations also fit that hypothesis. It would be strictly better if scientist had god like powers to set up their own test universes, but they can still learn things just from observing what’s already going on.
Latest Answers