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Quotation from Popular Scientific Lectures by Ernst Mach
“The atom must remain a tool for representing phenomena, like the functions of mathematics.”
Popular Scientific Lectures, The Economical Nature of Physical Inquiry, trans. Thomas J. McCormack
Mach's caution against treating molecules and atoms as realities behind the phenomena, a position that drew Boltzmann's opposition.
Citation: "The atom must remain a tool for representing phenomena, like the functions of mathematics." — Ernst Mach, Popular Scientific Lectures, The Economical Nature of Physical Inquiry, trans. Thomas J. McCormack. (id mach-popular-scientific-lectures-q5)
Portrait: Ernst-Mach-1900, Charles Scolik, Public domain.
