Strong_Field
Dec11-04, 03:03 AM
<jabberwocky><div class="vbmenu_control"><a href="jabberwocky:;" onClick="newWindow=window.open('','usenetCode','toolbar=no, location=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,status=no ,width=650,height=400'); newWindow.document.write('<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Usenet ASCII</TITLE></HEAD><BODY topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 BGCOLOR=#F1F1F1><table border=0 width=625><td bgcolor=midnightblue><font color=#F1F1F1>This Usenet message\'s original ASCII form: </font></td></tr><tr><td width=449><br><br><font face=courier><UL><PRE>"davidmerritt" <davidoff@davidmerritt.co.uk> wrote in message\nnews:davidmerritt.1gysyi@physicsforums.co m...\n\n> Models created in the physical sciences often have their methodolgy\n> routed in experimental data, not observed data as in the social\n> sciences....\n\nThis is a well established view but I am interested in analysing it\nfurther. For instance, in physical sciences a characteristic\nexperimental data is the measurement of an oscillator. Let\'s say we have\na vertical pendulum P and we measure its period. We measure the distance\nfrom one extreme point A to the other extreme point B. We get a set of\nnumbers, like, x1, x2, x3, and so on. By using these numbers we can\nmodel the behavior of the pendulum within the experimental error.\n\nIn social sciences, let\'s say we measure the density of people entering\nthe Wall Street subway station at 5 PM.\n\nWe do this, for instance, by counting the number of people whose feet\ntouch the first step of the entrance at exactly 5 PM. We get a series of\nnumbers y1, y2, y3 and so on. Given these numbers I can model the\ndensity of people entering subway station within the experimental error\nas well as the motion of the pendulum.\n\nHow are these two data set differ? Why one is an experimental data and\nthe other observed data?\n\n</UL></PRE></font></td></tr></table></BODY><HTML>');"> <IMG SRC=/images/buttons/ip.gif BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER ALT="View this Usenet post in original ASCII form"> View this Usenet post in original ASCII form </a></div><P></jabberwocky>"davidmerritt" <davidoff@davidmerritt.co.uk> wrote in message
news:davidmerritt.1gysyi@physicsforums.com...
> Models created in the physical sciences often have their methodolgy
> routed in experimental data, not observed data as in the social
> sciences....
This is a well established view but I am interested in analysing it
further. For instance, in physical sciences a characteristic
experimental data is the measurement of an oscillator. Let's say we have
a vertical pendulum P and we measure its period. We measure the distance
from one extreme point A to the other extreme point B. We get a set of
numbers, like, x1, x2, x3, and so on. By using these numbers we can
model the behavior of the pendulum within the experimental error.
In social sciences, let's say we measure the density of people entering
the Wall Street subway station at 5 PM.
We do this, for instance, by counting the number of people whose feet
touch the first step of the entrance at exactly 5 PM. We get a series of
numbers y1, y2, y3 and so on. Given these numbers I can model the
density of people entering subway station within the experimental error
as well as the motion of the pendulum.
How are these two data set differ? Why one is an experimental data and
the other observed data?
news:davidmerritt.1gysyi@physicsforums.com...
> Models created in the physical sciences often have their methodolgy
> routed in experimental data, not observed data as in the social
> sciences....
This is a well established view but I am interested in analysing it
further. For instance, in physical sciences a characteristic
experimental data is the measurement of an oscillator. Let's say we have
a vertical pendulum P and we measure its period. We measure the distance
from one extreme point A to the other extreme point B. We get a set of
numbers, like, x1, x2, x3, and so on. By using these numbers we can
model the behavior of the pendulum within the experimental error.
In social sciences, let's say we measure the density of people entering
the Wall Street subway station at 5 PM.
We do this, for instance, by counting the number of people whose feet
touch the first step of the entrance at exactly 5 PM. We get a series of
numbers y1, y2, y3 and so on. Given these numbers I can model the
density of people entering subway station within the experimental error
as well as the motion of the pendulum.
How are these two data set differ? Why one is an experimental data and
the other observed data?