Charles Francis Richter Quotes

I time everything. I'm a scientist at heart.

My parents are both scientists. They like order.

All exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation.

Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one.

Science has authority, not because of white coats, or titles, but because of precision and transparency: you explain your theory, set out your evidence, and reference the studies that support your case.

Science isn't about authority or white coats; it's about following a method. That method is built on core principles: precision and transparency; being clear about your methods; being honest about your results; and drawing a clear line between the results, on the one hand, and your judgment calls about how those results support a hypothesis.

This was good training for research, because large parts of experimental work are sometimes boring or involve the use of skills in which one is not particularly gifted.

But a science is exact to the extent that its method measures up to and is adequate to its object.

Our empirical criterion for a series of theories is that it should produce new facts. The idea of growth and the concept of empirical character are soldered into one.

Science cannot progress without reliable and accurate measurement of what it is you are trying to study. The key is measurement, simple as that.

But there is only one surefire method of proper pattern recognition, and that is science.

Traditional science is all about finding shortcuts.

Soon I knew the craft of experimental physics was beyond me - it was the sublime quality of patience - patience in accumulating data, patience with recalcitrant equipment - which I sadly lacked.

Scientific research involves going beyond the well-trodden and well-tested ideas and theories that form the core of scientific knowledge. During the time scientists are working things out, some results will be right, and others will be wrong. Over time, the right results will emerge.

When all is said and done, science actually takes hard work and a willingness to sometimes find out that your most cherished hypothesis is wrong.

We should teach the students, as well as executives, how to conduct experiments, how to examine data, and how to use these tools to make better decisions.

In scientific work, those who refuse to go beyond fact rarely get as far as fact.

I'm a bit of a freak for evidence-based analysis. I strongly believe in data.

Watch every detail that affects the accuracy of your work.

A painstaking course in qualitative and quantitative analysis by John Wing gave me an appreciation of the need for, and beauty of, accurate measurement.

I've made a career of being precise.

Traditional scientific method has always been at the very best, 20 - 20 hindsight. It's good for seeing where you've been. It's good for testing the truth of what you think you know, but it can't tell you where you ought to go.

If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment.

We are the recipients of scientific method. We can each be a creative and active part of it if we so desire.

An investigator starts research in a new field with faith, a foggy idea, and a few wild experiments. Eventually the interplay of negative and positive results guides the work. By the time the research is completed, he or she knows how it should have been started and conducted.