This paper explores the epistemic limitations of using mathematical representations in physical theories. It highlights how mathematics, built from basic numerical concepts and operations, develops into complex structures that serve as a language to describe certain physical phenomena. However, the empirical meaning within these mathematical frameworks is confined to the information encoded in their symbols. Thus, the success of mathematical physics in prediction relies on how well this encoding captures relevant data, rather than providing direct knowledge of nature’s causal mechanisms. The study distinguishes between mathematics’ strength in precise description and prediction, and its inability to address the ontological foundations of physical reality.
Md. Jafrul Hassan (Tue,) studied this question.