Why Thought Experiments Transcend Empiricism ( Part 1)
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A recent issue of Physics World lists the ten “most beautiful experiments” of all time, the result of a poll of contemporary physicists (Crease, 2002; see also Rogers, 2002). “Beauty” was left undefined, but judging from the list of winners it seems to involve a combination of simplicity in design and execution with deep and far reaching
consequences. The examples include the double-slit experiment with single electrons, Millikan’s oil-drop experiment to measure the charge on an electron, Newton’s decomposition of sunlight through a prism, and so on.1 They are wonderful examples.