Physics: Guessing a Solution - Einzats Spelling

[Distortion]

What is the word for taking a guess at what a solution would look like? It sounds something like (pardon if this is a bad word in German) einzats. Anyway, it is bugging the crap out of me. I want to know how to spell it.

 

[tkjacobsen]

The spelling is "Ansatz", and yes, it is german :D

It can be translated to something like "an educated guess"

 

[Distortion]

thank you...no wonder my searches came up with null results.

 

[arildno]

"einsatz" means roughly "effort"

 

[pmb_phy]

What is the word for taking a guess at what a solution would look like? It sounds something like (pardon if this is a bad word in German) einzats. Anyway, it is bugging the crap out of me. I want to know how to spell it.

The term Ansatz is defined as (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Ansatz.html)

Ansatz: an assumed form for a mathematical statement that is not based on any underlying theory or principle.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansatz

Ansatz: the establishment of the starting equation(s) describing a mathematical or physical problem.

and http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ansatz

Ansatz: a mathematical expression assumed to describe a certain phenomenon, but without a proved justification for its use. It often is related to empirically obtained formulae.

Best wishes

Pete