Teacher problems

[RandyDogz]

I hear ya, sorry if I sounded harsh, as I say it's a pet peeve so I get a little worked up.

I see it like this, look at 1 + x = 5. The easy answer for x is 4. But it could be more complex, say (10 - 6). Now math is a pure science, (10 - 6) is the same as 4. Gravity is still not pure, so by accepting x = 4 we could be over simplifying and not recognizing there could be more variables involved. Plus, assuming in my simple math equation 1 is gravity and x is dark matter, we need to question the 1 in the equation - the assumption gravity = 1. Maybe we have it wrong and gravity is actually 5, and there is no x, or dark matter. I believe the latter, what we currently believe gravity to be is wrong.

I just think the debate should be more open about both possibilities rather than talking as though we know dark matter exists. I know I'm splitting hairs, and agree with you that it's a necessary concept at this point. But I think our efforts are better spent deconstructing our assumptions about gravity, rather than assuming its right and trying to figure out dark matter. While the end result is the same, it's an important distinction to understand.

In a different light, I'm an accountant. I've had situations where I've spun my wheels looking for 4, but as soon as I understood that it could be (10 - 6), or that 1 could be wrong, the problem was much easier to solve.