This is an illustration of a pet peeve, though. I hate misleading scaling of graphs and bar charts. Because they chose to use $900 as a baseline, it makes it appear that the estimates have increased by more than an order of magnitude over two years, when in fact they have only doubled. It seems to me that doubling is bad enough without playing games with graphics.
Category Archives: Mathematics
Why Math Teachers Feel Unprepared
Perhaps because they are. Our educational system is a disaster on all levels, and unfortunately, too many are happy and get well paid to keep it that way.
Mastering The Heat-Wave Puzzle
Taking Jeff Masters to statistics school. While Jeff is a meteorologist, I really am starting to think that many of the “scientists” doing climate research are second raters. If not third.
Pirates
The Value Of Trial And Error
Jim Manzi has what looks to be an interesting new book
Seventeen Equations
…that changed the world. One of the signs of the disaster that is modern academia is that it is not only acceptable, but for many a point of pride, that they don’t understand math.
[Via Geek Press]
Affirmative Action
…and radical politics. As he notes, let’s hope that SCOTUS slaps down this evil once and for all.
Bernard Beard
Some of you may recall numerous comments on statistics and physics here by commenter “bbbeard.” Sadly, I just received notification that he died over the weekend:
Where: Memphis Botanical Gardens (in the Japanese Garden)
750 Cherry RoadMemphis, TN 38117
Phone: 901.636.4106Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012
Time: Gathering at 10:00am with Service to begin at 10:30am. Lunch to follow, ending at 1:30pm
Donations can be made to either of the following:
Keystone School
119 E. Craig Place
San Antonio, TX 78212
Phone: 210.735.4022Donations Link: https://websvr.keystoneschool.org/cc/misc_fund.asp
Or
MIT Department of Physics
77 Massachusetts Ave., Bldg. 4-309
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Phone: 617.452.2807
Donations Link: https://giving.mit.edu/givenow/browse-designations.dyn?categoryId=DP,DPPH
He was a former colleague of mine at the ARES Corporation (though I never worked with him). The comments section here (as well, of course, as his friends and family) will miss him.
The Rings Of Earth
What would they look like from the surface?
Derbyshire Update
Apparently, for those concerned, the prognosis is good.