Recent content by chiropter

Thanks, Stephen. I have already read and understand that taking the expectation of the sample variance resolves to equal the population variance multiplied by n/(n-1), which is equivalent to dividing by (n-1) instead of (n) in a formula for calculating the sample variance.

So is what I'm saying in the second and third paragraphs off-base?

Wondering about degrees of freedom. So basically let me express my current understanding: Comparing the statistical errors to the residuals, the former involves taking a subset of observations from a population and comparing them to the population mean, while the latter involves comparing the...

I don't think you've read the thread. What did you think this contributed that wasn't already said?

I ask because you are kind of coming off as a jerk in your original response, which full of cursory one-line responses, and then by a lack of effort to understand what I am saying, but instead telling me I am saying the wrong thing and then trying to debate about that. And by restating that my...

Thanks for this post.

As I told you, I am not a physicist. However, I am a scientist by training. I do have an understanding of how math is deployed in science. Just curious, what is your degree in physics? Yes, and to best model a natural process, we have to understand why mathematical objects work the...

Regardless, it is a trite response.

Yeah I think there are a couple misunderstandings going on here. When I say "proof", I would include physics-type derivations or demonstrations of relationships in there, and contrast it against the sort of rote computation-given-certain-prompts that many high school math students do. Also...

Yeah I think we have different definitions of shaky. Also please see my edit above.

Also I had a discrete math teacher from Czech Republic and she gave the impression she was learning basic proofs in elementary school.

>>No - I think they just don't like doing proofs. >It's very common among physicists and engineers. I don't know if that's quite true. Physicists use math to "prove" things, or to show mathematical relationships. Yes they are primarily interested in revealing the truth about something instead...

(I numbered my questions- it ended up being a long post!) (1) I'm also wondering if anyone has any good metaphors for difference between proof and "drills" or "techniques". Maybe learning "techniques" is sort of like getting good at scales, whereas proof is actually playing songs? I feel that...

I think the global firestorm is a pretty well established idea, a natural consequence of a bolide that big. I suppose the angle and speed of impact are also important, and given the evidence for global fires they are revising those estimates to account for the fires, and vice versa. I...

It's 65, not 66 mya