Contrary to popular belief, econometrics does not actually study the economics of the metric system.
I found this out the hard way today as my university began its spring semester courses. Unfortunately, it’s definitely anything but spring weather. Hours after I arrived back to my apartment, a sideways snowstorm (the term “blizzard” doesn’t do it justice) drove through our campus. And as if the twelve-plus inches of blinding whiteness weren’t enough, freezing rain began pouring down during the evening! Luckily, I’m sort of beginning to enjoy the whole ice-skating-on-boots gala.
So, if you're from the "it's so cold that I don't understand why someone would think settling here was a smart idea" area, any advice on getting through winters would be greatly appreciated.
But where was I? Oh, yes, econometrics! It’s essentially the application of statistical tools to analyze the variables of multiple economic theories. By the way, did I mention that I’m probably going to graduate to become the world’s most interesting dinner date?
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Pizza Paradox
Lately, I’ve been reading up on the subject of logic. (Translation: I’ve been looking through Wikipedia pages related to the matters of logic.)
The segment that really caught my attention was the concept of paradoxes. Usually, these contradictions are found within ancient Greek poems and philosophies, such as the Cretan Paradox. This particular case tells of a Cretan philosopher who claimed that all Cretans are liars. Naturally, this statement fell into a series of “Well, if all Cretans are liars, how is this guy telling the truth? But if he is telling the truth, then not all Cretans are liars, which refutes the sentence!” Presumably, the paradox-analyst (Do they exist?) will conclude with some serious forehead-to-wall-collisions…
Only after some thorough research, (Translation: More Wikipedia pages) did I find that there were actually several proposed resolutions to the perpetual cycle, such as the Principle of Bivalence. In short, it’s a numerical attempt to deduce that a statement can be neither true nor false. Aha, eureka moment here! But I’ll leave this thought for another time…like when I actually understand what’s going on.
As I continued down the list of logical ironies, I began wondering if I could come up with one of my own. How cool would it be to create my legacy in the absurdities of a paradox?!
Okay, so maybe it won’t get me the girl of my dreams…
Unfortunately, (and luckily for my love life) I couldn’t think of a situation that could lead itself in circles. The closest I got was telling my friend not to follow my instructions, to which she gave me a blank glare.
However, I do remember when, back in high school, a classmate won a disputed slice of pepperoni pizza by claiming that the other guy “argues about everything!” The other guy could only stutter in response, knowing that if he objected, all self-dignity would’ve been lost in proving his opponent right.
Perhaps, one day, mathematicians and philosophers will refer to this historical event as the Pizza Paradox...
Needless to say, paradoxes are incredibly interesting! Once you break down the puzzles through logic, you see that there’s both a mathematical and linguistic approach to analyzing, and both fields are significant as well as confusing.
What’s your take on the topic? Any favorite paradoxes? A curious mind wants to know.
The segment that really caught my attention was the concept of paradoxes. Usually, these contradictions are found within ancient Greek poems and philosophies, such as the Cretan Paradox. This particular case tells of a Cretan philosopher who claimed that all Cretans are liars. Naturally, this statement fell into a series of “Well, if all Cretans are liars, how is this guy telling the truth? But if he is telling the truth, then not all Cretans are liars, which refutes the sentence!” Presumably, the paradox-analyst (Do they exist?) will conclude with some serious forehead-to-wall-collisions…
Only after some thorough research, (Translation: More Wikipedia pages) did I find that there were actually several proposed resolutions to the perpetual cycle, such as the Principle of Bivalence. In short, it’s a numerical attempt to deduce that a statement can be neither true nor false. Aha, eureka moment here! But I’ll leave this thought for another time…like when I actually understand what’s going on.
As I continued down the list of logical ironies, I began wondering if I could come up with one of my own. How cool would it be to create my legacy in the absurdities of a paradox?!
Okay, so maybe it won’t get me the girl of my dreams…
Unfortunately, (and luckily for my love life) I couldn’t think of a situation that could lead itself in circles. The closest I got was telling my friend not to follow my instructions, to which she gave me a blank glare.
However, I do remember when, back in high school, a classmate won a disputed slice of pepperoni pizza by claiming that the other guy “argues about everything!” The other guy could only stutter in response, knowing that if he objected, all self-dignity would’ve been lost in proving his opponent right.
Perhaps, one day, mathematicians and philosophers will refer to this historical event as the Pizza Paradox...
Needless to say, paradoxes are incredibly interesting! Once you break down the puzzles through logic, you see that there’s both a mathematical and linguistic approach to analyzing, and both fields are significant as well as confusing.
What’s your take on the topic? Any favorite paradoxes? A curious mind wants to know.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Rants and Professions of Love
This year, I resolve speak with more confidence.
Okay, so maybe keeping a blog doesn’t exactly help that…BUT, MAYBE IF I WRITE LIKE THIS…well, you get the idea.
All jokes aside, I think part of being more assertive comes from having a clear mind, so I’ve decided to write my thoughts here as a way of finding focus through my jumbled ramblings. At the very least, perhaps I could jot down my random musings and reflections so I don’t daydream through every class. No matter what, it’ll certainly be cheaper than therapy.
So, if you’re reading this, be prepared for a lot of rants on New England winters and professions of love for Japanese curry. And when I’m old and senile, I’ll be reading this blog for some laughs. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have developed a very macho speech.
Wish me luck!
Okay, so maybe keeping a blog doesn’t exactly help that…BUT, MAYBE IF I WRITE LIKE THIS…well, you get the idea.
All jokes aside, I think part of being more assertive comes from having a clear mind, so I’ve decided to write my thoughts here as a way of finding focus through my jumbled ramblings. At the very least, perhaps I could jot down my random musings and reflections so I don’t daydream through every class. No matter what, it’ll certainly be cheaper than therapy.
So, if you’re reading this, be prepared for a lot of rants on New England winters and professions of love for Japanese curry. And when I’m old and senile, I’ll be reading this blog for some laughs. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have developed a very macho speech.
Wish me luck!
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