Monte Carlo computer simulations and methods have been widely used in physics for many decades, particularly in data analysis. Despite that, the growing philosophical literature about computer simulations has largely bracketed them. This talk aims to fill in this lacuna. I provide an overview of various Monte Carlo techniques as they are applied in physics, covering Monte Carlo integration,...
Physicists aim to reconstruct the distribution of physical quantities from the vast amounts of data collected by telescopes, as a means to better understand the physical processes of the Universe. This
reconstruction involves solving an inverse problem, specifically the Fredholm integral equation highlighted in the overview of this workshop. Methods for finding such a solution are not only...
My talk gives a short account of causation in physics and of the way in which the term "observation" is used in astroparticle physics, regarding the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Then I discuss the causal features of the key model of cosmic messenger particles. The model is in accordance with Salmon’s conserved quantity account of causality but has additional probabilistic features, due to the...
My talk reevaluates the distinction between experiment and observation. I first argue that to get clear on what role observation plays in the generation of scientific knowledge, we need to distinguish “experiential observation” as a concept closely connected to experience from “observation” in a technical sense and from “field observation”, as a concept that reasonably contrasts with...
