--- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com,
"H.M. Hubey" <hubeyh@...> wrote:
>
>
> Piotr Gasiorowski wrote:
>
> > 18-06-03 23:34, Miguel
Carrasquer wrote:
> >
> > > On Wed, 18 Jun 2003 10:21:25
-0400, "H.M. Hubey"
> > > <hubeyh@...> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > >Ok, I see what you mean
now. When comparing forms without
looking into
> > > >history one can easily make
mistakes. The thing is that I think
the
> > > errors
> > > >are symmetrically
distributed (e.g. like the
Gaussian) so that given
> > > enough
> > > >data they will cancel out.
> > >
> > > Oh my god.
> > >
> > >
> > > How to reconstruct a
Brontosaurus, the Hubey way:
> > >
> > > - Take as many bones as you
can lay your hands on (doesn't
matter from
> > > which animal or which part of
it)
> > >
> > > - Randomly glue them
together.
> > >
> > > Since a Brontosaurus has
Gaussian distribution (in the
immortal words of
> > > Anne Elk (Miss): "All
brontosauruses are thin at one end,
much
> > thicker in
> > > the middle and then thin
again at the far end"), given
enough bones, the
> > > errors will cancel out.
> > >
> > > Next week's recipe: Tuna
salad à la Sumérienne.
> >
> > And here's the surest way to
drive your car straight ahead:
close your
> > eyes and let go of the wheel.
Since the steering mechanism
prefers
> > neither direction, the
distribution of possible courses is
symmetrical
> > and any errors will cancel out.
Do try it out, Hubey!
> >
> > Piotr
> >
>
> I guess you guys are asking for a
discussion of how science is done,
or
> should be done,
> or are you asking what
mathematics is about?
An engineering thought from a
mathematician:
.
The signal to noise ratio is very
low already.
.
And a mathematical thought
.
What's linear about this process?
.
Richard.