People seem to be missing the essential issue here. A theory gives
information about a process or phenomenon that is required to make it
happen on demand. A process cannot be believed or even studied unless
it can be made to occur on demand. So far, LENR occurs occasionally by
chance or because a recipe has been discovered by trial and error.
The successful recipes have not been made generally available so that
people who want to study the effect cannot. A useful theory would
help correct this limitation. A theory is defined as being useful
when it allows the process to be caused on demand. We NEED a theory
that can do this.
Even Edison could not get people to believe the light bulb was
possible until he was able to make one that worked every time long
enough for someone to see it operate. LENR has not reached this stage.
Edison tried many materials and eventually found one that worked well
enough. LENR has too many variables that affect its behavior for the
process of trial and error to be successful.
Yes, high temperature superconductivity does not have an acceptable
theory but it can be reproduced at will. In addition, the concept of
superconductivity is not in doubt, as is LENR.
The Wright Brothers had a theory - it was called the theory of lift.
They were the first to understand this process, which allowed them to
have the success that was missing when flight was attempted without
this understanding.
Ed
On Feb 20, 2013, at 11:46 AM, Kevin O'Malley wrote:
Mark Gibbs <[email protected]> wrote:
When I recently suggested in response to Peter Gluck's question [1]
that a testable theory was a necessity for LENR to be recognized as
a great invention [2], it sure seemed like you all disagreed.
***There currently is no accepted theory of gravity. There is a law
of gravity but no widely accepted theory. That didn't stop millions
of people from stepping onto airplanes and going for an anti-gravity
ride on a great invention. And in fact, when the Wright brothers
got a patent for their invention, they did not have to generate the
equation of flight, did they?
