Physics as a decision theory

The paper shows that there is a close mathematical relationship between physics and the Analytic Hierarchy Process. It argues that numerical scales used in physics must be interpreted in terms which the scientist understands through experience and through theories advocated by experts in the field. In physics there are primary variables and secondary variables defined in terms of them, all measured on ratio scales. It is shown that hierarchic composition in the AHP works in a similar way to physics and this is illustrated with an example.