Categories: Alternative conceptions, Comparisons
An example of an analogy that influenced scientific thinking,
"Up to that time, as a consequence of the theory that heat is a substance, the universally accepted view had been that the passing of heat from a higher to a lower temperature was analogous to the sinking of a weight from a higher to a lower position, and it was not easy to overcome this mistaken opinion .
…the existence of an absolute zero of temperature was disputed, on the ground that for temperature, just as for height, only differences can be measured."
Plank, M. (1948/1949). A scientific Autobiography (F. Gaynor, Trans.). In Scientific Autobiography and other papers (pp. 13-51). Philosophical Library
Read examples of scientific analogies
The idea that heat was a substance, often called 'caloric' was once widely accepted by scientists. Today this would be considered an alternative conception or misconception.
