Well, the quote could be interpreted as “Any scientific theory must ultimately produce some numbers, so that reality can be measured and we can see whether the numbers match.”
Another interpretation is “A scientific theory ultimately isn’t a scientific theory at all unless it’s essentially a set of equations.”
Well, the quote could be interpreted as “Any scientific theory must ultimately produce some numbers, so that reality can be measured and we can see whether the numbers match.”
Another interpretation is “A scientific theory ultimately isn’t a scientific theory at all unless it’s essentially a set of equations.”
I agree, although I think the second sentence (“Theories stand or fall, ultimately, upon numbers”) is sufficient to justify the former interpretation.