“[…] we find that consumers actually prefer products that were made by mistake to otherwise identical products that were made intentionally.” – explain the researchers behind a new study to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The research team performed a series of experiments which described to participants various mistake-prone scenarios, e.g. one […]
Tag: error
Correct measurement of the wing-length of waders (recommendation)
Those involved in research projects often need to take measurements of some kind, and usually, the more accurate the better – leading to the question ‘Can any measurement ever be taken without some margin of error?’ As an example, see the work of Professor P R Evans, writing in the Wader Study Group Bulletin, (69, […]
Behold a work of Error: “contributing to business success”
Brett M. Error [pictured here] and Christopher Reid Error hold many patents. Here’s one: “Assigning value to elements contributing to business success,” Brett M. Error and Christopher Reid Error,US patent 7603373 B2, granted October 13, 2009. The patent document explains, patiently: “The present invention is related to tracking Website usage as it correlates With business success, […]
“How to Think, Say, or Do Precisely the Worst Thing”
If one wanted to think, say, or do precisely the worst thing, how would he or she go about doing so? This paper looks into that question: “How to Think, Say, or Do Precisely the Worst Thing for Any Occasion,” Daniel M. Wegner [pictured here], Science, vol. 325, July 3, 2009, pp. 48-50. The author, […]
Hand Sanitizers, Breathalyzers, and Indications of Intoxication
Clean hands, skulduggery and/or incompetence can, if combined, lead to a muddle about drunkenness, suggests this study: “Common Hand Sanitizer May Distort Readings of Breathalyzer Tests in the Absence of Acute Intoxication,” Syed S. Ali, Michael P. Wilson, Edward M. Castillo, Peter Witucki, Todd T. Simmons, Gary M. Vilke [pictured here], Academic Emergency Medicine, vol. 20, […]
This Grand Canyon, and That One, and Those Others…
Earle Spamer of the American Philosophical Society has, over the years, written a series of Improbable Research reports about the Grand Canyon (beginning with his explanation of how to preserve the Grand Canyon from disappearing due to erosion — his solution: fill the canyon, at least temporarily, with plastic packing “peanuts“). In “Is the Grand Canyon […]
A calculating look at the end of the world
Some persons predict that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Perhaps they are correct. For mathematical context, take a look back (perhaps the last look back any of us will have a chance to make!) at the 2011 Ig Nobel Prize winners in the field of mathematics: MATHEMATICS PRIZE: Dorothy Martin of the USA (who […]
A smidgen of mathematical levity, plus 58 minutes
In this first video, Fry and Laurie present a calculated bit of mathematical levity [HT Jennifer Ouellette]: In the following video, Professor Bikash Kumar Dey of the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay, presents 58 minutes without levity. It’s his famous “Lecture – 22 Probability of Error Calculation”. Enjoy, if you will: BONUS: “Lecture – 24 […]
A sheepish admission about my new book
My new book — This Is Improbable — has its official UK/US publication date this Thursday. September 6. Before it comes out, I have to make an embarrassing admission. Foyles bookstore asked me to do up a little essay for their blog. I decided to write the confession as part of that essay. Here’s the […]
The unexpected end of 2011 (an Ig Nobel tribute)
This year, 2011, is ending—unexpectedly—in December. To celebrate, we pay tribute to the winners of this year’s Ig Nobel Prize in mathematics. The prize was awarded to: Dorothy Martin of the USA (who predicted the world would end in 1954), Pat Robertson of the USA (who predicted the world would end in 1982 [and whose book is pictured […]