Quote#Wisdom
A hypothetical theory is necessary, as a preliminary step, to reduce…
Quote byWilliam John Macquorn Rankine · 1820–1872
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: "Outlines of the Science of Energetics," (1855), p. 213.
English (original)
A hypothetical theory is necessary, as a preliminary step, to reduce the expression of the phenomena to simplicity and order before it is possible to make any progress in framing an abstractive theory.
— William John Macquorn Rankine
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