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Professor John D. Norton is a prominent philosopher of science known for his critical examination of foundational concepts in physics, particularly Newtonian mechanics and the nature of determinism and causation.

While the "300-year-old physics mistake" sounds like a bold and specific claim, the exact nature of this error, as discussed in his upcoming interview with Curt Jaimungal, isn't immediately and broadly publicized in a single, simple statement. However, based on Norton's existing work and reputation, it's highly probable that this "mistake" relates to issues he has extensively explored, such as:

• The Norton Dome: This is a famous thought experiment devised by Norton that demonstrates how a system described by Newtonian mechanics can exhibit indeterminism. In the Norton Dome, a mass initially at rest at the apex of a specially shaped dome can spontaneously start moving at any arbitrary time without any external cause. This challenges the long-held assumption that Newtonian mechanics is inherently deterministic. The "mistake" might lie in the traditional interpretations or assumptions of Newtonian physics that overlooked or dismissed such possibilities.

• The Problem of Induction and Causation: Norton is also a strong proponent of the "material theory of induction," arguing against universal formal principles of induction and causation. He suggests that what makes an inductive inference valid are specific factual background conditions, not general laws of nature. He has argued that the concept of causation, while useful in everyday language, is not a fundamental concept in science and that our attempts to formulate a robust principle of causality have failed. The "mistake" could be related to how we've fundamentally conceived of causation and determinism in physics for centuries.

• Critique of Idealizations and Approximations: Norton has also discussed how certain idealizations and approximations used in physics, particularly in statistical mechanics, can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or misrepresentations of physical phenomena.

Given the title "The 300-Year-Old Physics Mistake No One Noticed," it strongly suggests an issue that has been deeply embedded in the conventional understanding of physics for centuries, likely related to the foundational assumptions about determinism, causality, or the interpretation of physical laws. The Norton Dome is a prime example of his work that directly challenges these ingrained assumptions within the framework of classical physics.