Einstein’s biggest blunder? Debating the role of errors in science through a didactic game about cosmology

Abstract

Einstein’s cosmological constant, introduced by him as a strategy to keep his model of the universe as static, has been considered one of the biggest blunders throughout his career. In 1922, Einstein evaluated the paper submitted by Friedmann to a German journal, in which he showed that there is one solution to the general relativity field equations in which the size of the universe increases with time. Einstein initially considered Friedmann would have made mistakes during calculations, but after discussing this issue with one of Friedmann's colleagues, Einstein admitted he was wrong and accepted the expansion of the universe as a mathematical possibility. However, he believed it hardly could have any physical meaning. This historical episode was adapted to high school physics classes through the creation of a didactic game. In this paper, we analyze arguments about the opposition between Einstein and Friedmann and students conceptions about the role of errors in science. There was equilibrium between supporters of Einstein and Friedmann. Many of Einsteins fans had a naive admiration, believing that such a smart scientist could not make mistakes. On the other hand, Friedmann fans valued his critical attitude, challenging the authority of famous scientist. Students debated whether the fact that Einstein admitted his mistake should be valued. Therefore we noted interesting students' arguments about the role of errors in science, which motivated the problematization of the myth of genius who never make mistakes and whose authority shall never be questioned.