Have you ever heard the phrase, “good enough for government work?” Generally, it is used to speak in a negative way about a task that has been accomplished. But, really, good enough for government work is the way in which many things actually work in real life. What do I mean?
Have you read the directions on almost any food that is designed to be cooked in a microwave or baked in an oven? What does it say? Pre-heat the oven to a certain temperature, and then what? Well, it usually says to cook it for a certain degree of time, say 30 to 40 minutes. But, you know, a 10 minute variance over 30 minutes means that the ovens in which the recipe are cooked are not all that accurate. It also means that the mix of ingredients allows for a lot of variability.
Could we design ovens and microwaves that would be much more exact so that there would not be as much variability in the recipes? Of course we could, both science and industry have significantly more accurate ovens and microwaves. So, why do we not? Well, because it would neither be cost effective nor necessary. In fact, “good enough for government work” is how we normally operate our home kitchens. And, good enough for government work is also how we operate in science in many cases. What do I mean?
If you have taken any physics, you know that Newtonian physics are actually incorrect. The way that the universe really works is much closer to Einstinian physics than to Newtonian physics. Over large distances, discrepancies show up between calculations made by Newtonian physics and calculations made by Einstinian physics. In every case, Einstein’s predicted measurements turn out to be significantly more correct than Newton’s predicted measurements. But, it turns out that Einstinian physics are also incorrect. Over atomic distances, quantum physics are correct and Einstinian physics are incorrect.
But, in practice if I want to construct a building, or shoot a cannon, etc., I use Newtonian calculations. Why? Because in the limited space that we experience here on Earth, Newtonian calculations are good enough. In fact, they are so good that our planes arrive where they are supposed to, our rifle shells follow the trajectories that we expect, etc. Over the tiny distances that are found here on Earth, the Newtonian calculations are significantly simpler and give the same result. The Newtonian calculations are good enough for government work. You rely on them every time you take a plane flight.
Do we ever use Einstinian physics here on Earth? Yes we do. Do you have a GPS unit? Do you use your phone as a GPS? It turns out that at the speed that the GPS satellites are traveling, and at the distance from Earth at which they orbit, Einstinian physics kicks in, and their clocks show the effect of relativity. As a result, they measure time differently than the clocks here on Earth. Over various revolutions of the satellite over the Earth, the time that the clocks on the GPS unit shows is slower than the time that the time of a similar clock on the Earth itself. But, the measurement of your location here on Earth is based on an equation that requires an accurate measurement of time. So, the clocks on the satellites have to be periodically corrected, based on Einstinian physics in order that distances and locations here on Earth can be accurately determined! In this case, close enough for government work is not a reliable way to do things.
Why am I bringing all this up? It is because as you grasp these ideas, you will have a better idea of how science works and progresses. It will also help you to understand bad arguments against “science.”
===MORE TO COME===
I’ve been told I shouldn’t use that phrase at work.
(I work for the government.)