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Re: Theory and Practice



Subject:  Re: Theory and Practice
  Date:   Fri, 9 May 1997 01:00:32 -0400 (EDT)
  From:   richard hull <rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net>
    To:   Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>


At 08:27 PM 5/6/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Subject:     Theory and Practice
>      Date:  Mon, 05 May 1997 19:22:58 -0800
>      From:  Greg Leyh <lod-at-pacbell-dot-net>
>        To:  Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>References: 
>           1
>
>
>richard hull wrote:
>
>> All who would be successful must yield to this first maxim of
>> engineering...
>> the absolute separation of theory and practice.
>
>
>Couldn't resist this little bit of flame-bait, but then what value 
>has theory if it is to be considered separately from practice?
>
>
>-GL
>
>

Theory is what we were taught.  Engineering is the art of trying to make
something really work, and work well.  Theory points us in the right
direction. experience in the field will always find every point where
theory
breaks down in application.

Engineers and scientists make codicile after codicile, special cases to
the
theories, etc, to try and cover the original simple case laws... And,
where
those fail, a fun time is had by all and a paradox is declared.  This
seemingly moves the theory up a notch in the eyes of the annointed.

Richard Hull, TCBOR