In article om,
Leonard Kellogg wrote:

Observed delays in signals from spacecraft and pulsars as
they pass the Sun exactly match the Shapiro delay times
^^^^^^^
predicted by general relativity. The magnitude of the
delay varies smoothly as a function of distance from the
Sun, and matches every spacecraft and pulsar signal at
every distance from the Sun, from grazing incidence to
180 degrees away. In other words, the observed delay
curves match the predicted Shapiro delay curves with no
detectable deviation from an *exact* fit.
^^^^^^^

The observed delay in signals coming from PSR J1909-3744
exactly matches the delays in signals from spacecraft and
^^^^^^^
pulsars, and also exactly matches the delay predicted by
^^^^^^^
general relativity, if the PSR J1909-3744 signals are
passing a white dwarf with a mass of 0.204 solar mass,
in an orbit inclined 3.4 degrees from edge-on to us.

The observed delay curve for PSR J1909-3744 matches the
predicted Shapiro delay curve with no detectable deviation
from an *exact* fit.
^^^^^^^

The mass for the companion star found from the observed
Shapiro delay is also exactly the mass required to match
^^^^^^^
the observed luminosity and spectrum of the white dwarf.

It is also exactly the mass required to match the observed
^^^^^^^
orbit period according to Kepler's and Newton's laws.

Leonard


Please don't misuse the words "exact" and "exactly" like that!

Exact matches (i.e. matches with zero error - not just negligible, but
exactly zero, error!) exist only in pure mathematics. Matching
observations to models means you'll have to deal with real-world
observations, and they have errors which, no matter how small,
*always* are larger than zero. There might be an exact fit of course,
but you won't know until you're able to perform measurements with zero
error. And that will never happen.

Please refrain from using the words "exact" and "exactly" in contexts
involving observational data. Instead use "accurate" and "accurately" !!!

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