Abstract
In this essay I describe the difference and the connection between physics and mathematics. But I mainly discuss the differences between physical reality and its mathematical representation. I argue that equations can’t represent the experiential aspect of information; that physics equations require behind-the-scenes work, but reality doesn’t; that physics equations require behind-the-scenes calculations, but reality doesn’t; that numbers represent fundamental physical structures, but sets don’t; and that equations can’t represent the creative aspect of reality.
Lorraine Ford