
Originally Posted by
GenerationE
I think this statement by Dr. Rocket explains it best.
"Sometimes in studying that order you find two things that look different and smell different but are really the sam thing --- and THAT is when equations are useful. You start out by noting that two quantities that arise in somewhat ways are really equal, and that fact is used, along with logic, to tell you something more about your problem. Once you have written down an equation, usually all the real work is done and what is left, if anything, is just routine."
Sorry for not using quotes.
From my personal experience from mathematics and physics, writing the equation down and interpreting is deffinitely more important than actually solving it.
Examples may include something like Schrodinger's Equation where writing down the intial equation and then interpreting what it means afterwards are far more important than doing the steps in between.
So understanding, like Dr. Rocket said, that F=dp/dt, is how equations get us to the moon. But designing the question and then interpreting the solution are where mathematics is most useful. In short the equation is just a means to an ends, and connects the intial phrasing of the question to the eventual interpretation of the answer.