Re: Re Family Words (was: sumer 3-4)

--- 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.