marc9000 writes:
As one example, depending on which astronomer is asked, the Milky Way galaxy has 100 billion to 400 billion stars. Which is it? The 300 billion difference is a big number. The scientific method, we're told, requires actual science to be testable, repeatable, observable, falsifiable. It would be logical to expect the 100 billion number, and the 400 billion number to be tested, and one of them falsified.
It doesn't depend on which astronomer you ask, any astronomer will tell you that the current estimate is 100-400 billion. It has an error range like any value in science.
Current equipment can not resolve the correct number any better than this. As soon as the equipment improves the error range will narrow.
Secondly, even the way you have phrased the range is incorrect. 100 billion and 400 billion are not competing estimates to be falsified against each other. Think about it, what theory would propose either of these numbers. Rather we have measured the value to be somewhere within the range 100-400 billion, with better estimates waiting for better equipment.
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