Useless Arithmetic

Author : Orrin H. Pilkey,Linda Pilkey-Jarvis
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780231132121

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Useless Arithmetic by Orrin H. Pilkey,Linda Pilkey-Jarvis Pdf

Writing for the general, nonmathematician reader and using examples from throughout the environmental sciences, Orrin Pilkey and Linda Pilkey-Jarvis show how unquestioned faith in mathematical models can blind us to the hard data and sound judgment of experienced scientific fieldwork. They begin with the extinction of the North Atlantic cod on the Grand Banks of Canada, and then they discuss the limitations of many models across a broad array of crucial environmental subjects. Case studies depict how the seductiveness of quantitative models has led to unmanageable nuclear waste disposal practices, poisoned mining sites, unjustifiable faith in predicted sea level rise rates, bad predictions of future shoreline erosion rates, overoptimistic cost estimates of artificial beaches, and a host of other problems. The authors demonstrate how many modelers have been reckless, employing fudge factors to assure "correct" answers and caring little if their models actually worked.

Author : Orrin H. Pilkey,Linda Pilkey-Jarvis
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 397 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2007-01-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780231506991

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Useless Arithmetic by Orrin H. Pilkey,Linda Pilkey-Jarvis Pdf

Noted coastal geologist Orrin Pilkey and environmental scientist Linda Pilkey-Jarvis show that the quantitative mathematical models policy makers and government administrators use to form environmental policies are seriously flawed. Based on unrealistic and sometimes false assumptions, these models often yield answers that support unwise policies. Writing for the general, nonmathematician reader and using examples from throughout the environmental sciences, Pilkey and Pilkey-Jarvis show how unquestioned faith in mathematical models can blind us to the hard data and sound judgment of experienced scientific fieldwork. They begin with a riveting account of the extinction of the North Atlantic cod on the Grand Banks of Canada. Next they engage in a general discussion of the limitations of many models across a broad array of crucial environmental subjects. The book offers fascinating case studies depicting how the seductiveness of quantitative models has led to unmanageable nuclear waste disposal practices, poisoned mining sites, unjustifiable faith in predicted sea level rise rates, bad predictions of future shoreline erosion rates, overoptimistic cost estimates of artificial beaches, and a host of other thorny problems. The authors demonstrate how many modelers have been reckless, employing fudge factors to assure "correct" answers and caring little if their models actually worked. A timely and urgent book written in an engaging style, Useless Arithmetic evaluates the assumptions behind models, the nature of the field data, and the dialogue between modelers and their "customers."

Author : Orrin H. Pilkey,Linda Pilkey-Jarvis
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780231132138

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Useless Arithmetic by Orrin H. Pilkey,Linda Pilkey-Jarvis Pdf

Writing for the general, nonmathematician reader and using examples from throughout the environmental sciences, Orrin Pilkey and Linda Pilkey-Jarvis show how unquestioned faith in mathematical models can blind us to the hard data and sound judgment of experienced scientific fieldwork. They begin with the extinction of the North Atlantic cod on the Grand Banks of Canada, and then they discuss the limitations of many models across a broad array of crucial environmental subjects. Case studies depict how the seductiveness of quantitative models has led to unmanageable nuclear waste disposal practices, poisoned mining sites, unjustifiable faith in predicted sea level rise rates, bad predictions of future shoreline erosion rates, overoptimistic cost estimates of artificial beaches, and a host of other problems. The authors demonstrate how many modelers have been reckless, employing fudge factors to assure "correct" answers and caring little if their models actually worked.

Author : Andrew Hacker
Publisher : New Press, The
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2010-05-25
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781620970690

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The Math Myth by Andrew Hacker Pdf

A New York Times–bestselling author looks at mathematics education in America—when it’s worthwhile, and when it’s not. Why do we inflict a full menu of mathematics—algebra, geometry, trigonometry, even calculus—on all young Americans, regardless of their interests or aptitudes? While Andrew Hacker has been a professor of mathematics himself, and extols the glories of the subject, he also questions some widely held assumptions in this thought-provoking and practical-minded book. Does advanced math really broaden our minds? Is mastery of azimuths and asymptotes needed for success in most jobs? Should the entire Common Core syllabus be required of every student? Hacker worries that our nation’s current frenzied emphasis on STEM is diverting attention from other pursuits and even subverting the spirit of the country. Here, he shows how mandating math for everyone prevents other talents from being developed and acts as an irrational barrier to graduation and careers. He proposes alternatives, including teaching facility with figures, quantitative reasoning, and understanding statistics. Expanding upon the author’s viral New York Times op-ed, The Math Myth is sure to spark a heated and needed national conversation—not just about mathematics but about the kind of people and society we want to be. “Hacker’s accessible arguments offer plenty to think about and should serve as a clarion call to students, parents, and educators who decry the one-size-fits-all approach to schooling.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Author : Brian Albright,William P Fox
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 383 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2019-11-25
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780429945052

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Mathematical Modeling with Excel by Brian Albright,William P Fox Pdf

This text presents a wide variety of common types of models found in other mathematical modeling texts, as well as some new types. However, the models are presented in a very unique format. A typical section begins with a general description of the scenario being modeled. The model is then built using the appropriate mathematical tools. Then it is implemented and analyzed in Excel via step-by-step instructions. In the exercises, we ask students to modify or refine the existing model, analyze it further, or adapt it to similar scenarios.

Author : C.W. Cryer
Publisher : IOS Press
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-04
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9781614992998

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A Math Primer for Engineers by C.W. Cryer Pdf

Mathematics and engineering are inevitably interrelated, and this interaction will steadily increase as the use of mathematical modelling grows. Although mathematicians and engineers often misunderstand one another, their basic approach is quite similar, as is the historical development of their respective disciplines. The purpose of this Math Primer is to provide a brief introduction to those parts of mathematics which are, or could be, useful in engineering, especially bioengineering. The aim is to summarize the ideas covered in each subject area without going into exhaustive detail. Formulas and equations have not been avoided, but every effort has been made to keep them simple in the hope of persuading readers that they are not only useful but also accessible. The wide range of topics covered includes introductory material such as numbers and sequences, geometry in two and three dimensions, linear algebra, and the calculus. Building on these foundations, linear spaces, tensor analysis and Fourier analysis are introduced. All these concepts are used to solve problems for ordinary and partial differential equations. Illustrative applications are taken from a variety of engineering disciplines, and the choice of a suitable model is considered from the point of view of both the mathematician and the engineer. This book will be of interest to engineers and bioengineers looking for the mathematical means to help further their work, and it will offer readers a glimpse of many ideas which may spark their interest.

Author : Lizy Kurian John,Lieven Eeckhout
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2018-10-03
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781420037425

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Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking by Lizy Kurian John,Lieven Eeckhout Pdf

Computer and microprocessor architectures are advancing at an astounding pace. However, increasing demands on performance coupled with a wide variety of specialized operating environments act to slow this pace by complicating the performance evaluation process. Carefully balancing efficiency and accuracy is key to avoid slowdowns, and such a balance can be achieved with an in-depth understanding of the available evaluation methodologies. Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking outlines a variety of evaluation methods and benchmark suites, considering their strengths, weaknesses, and when each is appropriate to use. Following a general overview of important performance analysis techniques, the book surveys contemporary benchmark suites for specific areas, such as Java, embedded systems, CPUs, and Web servers. Subsequent chapters explain how to choose appropriate averages for reporting metrics and provide a detailed treatment of statistical methods, including a summary of statistics, how to apply statistical sampling for simulation, how to apply SimPoint, and a comprehensive overview of statistical simulation. The discussion then turns to benchmark subsetting methodologies and the fundamentals of analytical modeling, including queuing models and Petri nets. Three chapters devoted to hardware performance counters conclude the book. Supplying abundant illustrations, examples, and case studies, Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking offers a firm foundation in evaluation methods along with up-to-date techniques that are necessary to develop next-generation architectures.

Author : Great Britain Royal Commission on the the Working of the Elementary Education Acts, England and Wales
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 542 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 1888
Category : Education, Elementary
ISBN : STANFORD:36105042969225

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Final report by Great Britain Royal Commission on the the Working of the Elementary Education Acts, England and Wales Pdf

Author : Great Britain. Royal Commission on Education
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 538 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1888
Category : Education, Elementary
ISBN : UCAL:C2633495

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Elementary Education Acts by Great Britain. Royal Commission on Education Pdf

Author : Great Britain. Royal Commission on Elementary Education Acts
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 544 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 1888
Category : Educational law and legislation
ISBN : UOM:39015080236915

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Report[s] of the Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire Into the Working of the Elementary Education Acts, England and Wales [with Evidence, Etc.] ... by Great Britain. Royal Commission on Elementary Education Acts Pdf

Author : Erik Calonius
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 212 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2011-03-17
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781101476116

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Ten Steps Ahead by Erik Calonius Pdf

How do the most extraordinary entrepreneurs create a bold vision for the future-and follow through against all setbacks? Visionaries like Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison are the stuff of legend. Yet we still fumble in describing what they actually do. Drawing on recent insights from neuroscience about the roles that intuition, emotional intelligence, and courage can play, Ten Steps Ahead reveals what makes visionaries tick and how they develop and use their extraordinary powers. We learn, for instance, ? how Richard Branson had the insight to trademark Virgin Galactic in the early 1990s, when private spaceflight was science fiction ? how Richard Feynman made breakthroughs in quantum mechanics by pretending he was an electron ? why Jeff Hawkins walked around with a block of wood and a chopstick to help design the first Palm Pilot Erik Calonius, who has interviewed many of the greatest living visionaries across disciplines and industries, weaves together their stories, highlights their shared attributes, and draws on science to help us understand what sets them apart and shows how we too can see (and make) the future. It's not that some people can magically see opportunities-it's that the rest of us are blind to the ones around us.

Author : Samuel Gorovitz
Publisher : Easton Studio Press LLC
Page : 147 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2023-09-26
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781632261304

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Illuminating Philosophy by Samuel Gorovitz Pdf

In these 25 true stories, a widely published philosopher recounts 60 years of interaction with people in all walks of life – some extremely famous, others complete strangers – from hospitals to restaurants, concert halls to airplanes, in private conversations and nationally broadcast interviews. Stories can be heartbreaking, distracting, funny, shocking, inspiring, revealing, and sometimes unforgettable – and all those attributes appear here. There’s no substitute for learning what it’s like to be someone else, to see the world as that other person does and reconsider our own views in light of that learning. These compelling and accessible stories motivate and enable us to do that, illuminating the unexpected relationships among all domains of human concern, the wellsprings of creativity, the elusive character of good judgment, and the pathways to social justice. They help us see more clearly what we care most about: deep features of human character and difficult choices, of social structures, of the power of imagination, of how to take account of the importance of what cannot be counted, and of bogus boundaries and assumptions that can repress clear thinking in any domain. These stories will make the reader more powerful in service of those values.

Author : Great Britain. Education Commission
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1330 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 1888
Category : Education, Elementary
ISBN : NYPL:33433005989771

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Elementary Education Acts by Great Britain. Education Commission Pdf

Author : Thuan
Publisher : New Directions Publishing
Page : 165 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2022-06-21
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780811231893

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Chinatown by Thuan Pdf

An exquisite and intense journey through the labyrinths of Hanoi, Leningrad, and Paris—through dreams, memory, and loss An abandoned package is discovered in the Paris Metro: the subway workers suspect it’s a terrorist bomb. A Vietnamese woman sitting nearby, her son asleep on her shoulder, waits and begins to reflect on her life, from her constrained childhood in communist Hanoi, to a long period of study in Leningrad during the Gorbachev period, and finally to the Parisian suburbs where she now teaches English. Through everything runs her passion for Thuy, the father of her son, a writer who lives in Saigon’s Chinatown, and who, with the shadow of the China-Vietnam border war falling darkly between them, she has not seen for eleven years. Through her breathless, vertiginous, and deeply moving monologue from beside the subway tracks, the narrator attempts to once and for all face the past and exorcize the passion that haunts her.

Author : William Harold Payne
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 1872
Category : Education
ISBN : UOM:39015062780427

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The Michigan Teacher by William Harold Payne Pdf