Despite common belief (and some earlier research on the question) that success tends to come early for scientists, a scientist’s single most successful publication is likely to occur at any point in the sequence of papers that she or he publishes. That’s the gist of a new study. The study explains that people in general tend to produce […]
Tag: random
How Iceland is a very Ig Nobel nation, and why that’s good
Iceland, though a small, physically isolated country, can boast of great Ig Nobelity. Ig Nobel Prizes, of course, are awarded for achievements that make people laugh, then think. Iceland displayed panache in its Ig Nobellian displays of economics, and then government. BANKS. The 2009 Ig Nobel Prize for economics was awarded to the directors, executives, and […]
A complicated way to say: ‘Flip a coin’
Considerable expense and effort are thrown at the question: What will people choose? Which cell phone? Which features? Which dinner entrée? Which school? Which local political candidate? Which stock or bond? Which financial advisor? Which job candidate? Which job? Which hole to stick your nose in, if you’re offered a choice? BUT BUT BUT sometimes, maybe […]
A washing machine filled with Legos and applied mathematics
Colin Lecher writes in Popular Science: “Random Structures from Lego Bricks and Analog Monte Carlo Procedures” is… about throwing Legos in a washing machine. And it is wonderful. Ingo Althöfer of Friedrich-Schiller University in Germany is the author of the minor masterpiece. From the introduction to the paper, allow Dr. Althöfer to explain: Within a larger experimental series we […]