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Dividing one number by another is mere computation. Figuring out what to divide is mathematics.
JORDAN ELLENBERG
73
646 reads
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Math is the study of avoiding errors
Math is a science that helps us solve common problems and enable us to be right about our decisions. Math is mostly just common sense. We intuitively use logic and reason to solve "math" problems.
However, we often fail at this logic - for example, in survivorship bias. Wh...
75
820 reads
We confuse probability with risk
We use probability to assess how risky something is, such as an investment or an action we want to take. But if we just use probability to assess risk, we fail to take into account how bad the potential negative outcomes will be if they do occur.
For ex...
78
679 reads
False linearity
People often assume that the rate of change of a quantity will remain the same over time.
If obesity increased 1% last year, they assume the same will happen in the following years. One research paper concluded that 100% of Americans will be obese by 2048, then applied ...
76
540 reads
Other mathematical traps
- Small datasets have a lot more noise in them. When looking at conclusions based on data sets, see how much noise to signal it contains.
- Percentages are good for positive quantities but should be avoided for negative numbers.
- ...
81
460 reads
A mathematician is always asking, “What assumptions are you making? And are they justified?”
JORDAN ELLENBERG
77
1.32K reads
Take the findings of scientific research with a grain of salt
Headlines like “New study shows milk is related to Alzheimer’s.” “This study reveals how much you really do at work.” is problematic for these reasons:
- Sometimes insignificant results can pass statistical tests.
- Unsuccessful studies are rarely publishe...
80
530 reads
CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
How not to be deceived by mathematical traps.
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Customer Churn
The number of customers who cancel your service or stop buying your products over a set period of time.
You can calculate your churn rate by taking the number of cancellations over a specific period and dividing it by the total num...
What is A Share?
A single share of a company represents a small, but real, ownership stake in a corporation.
One stock's percentage of ownership is determined by dividing it by the total number of shares outstanding.
Stock ownership generally entitles the owner to corporate voting rights and to any di...
Uniform dressing
Getting dressed for work is a nearly universal challenge.
An attempt to simplify dressing is by uniform dressing. It eliminates the element of choice and saves the wearer the problem of figuring out what to wear every morning. But the logical end of optimisation in fashion...
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