Category Archives: math

Three levels of mathematical reasoning

Posted on October 3, 2015 by

Well, I said I was going to take a one-week break from the internet, but I’m drinking now and that implies blogging, which is a contradiction. QED There are three levels of mathematical reasoning. The first is purely concerned with … Continue reading →

Posted in genius, math, philosophy, psychology | 16 Comments

Misleading

Posted on August 21, 2012 by

Very few people share your signature themes (in fact, there are over thirty-three million possible combinations of the top five, so the chances of your [sic] meeting your perfect match are infinitesimal). Now! Discover Your Strengths Time to put that … Continue reading →

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Picking losers

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

I like this idea, especially because it can be generalized to all the risk-based decisions we make in everyday life. It also draws on our critical functions, rather than the same optimistic functions that we use to post facto rationalize … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, math | Leave a comment

Logical vs. intuitive or (expressibility)

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

That’s one way of distinguishing between the logical or (and/or) and xor (either or/er), because xor is much more intuitive to those of us who have to make value judgments on a regular basis. “Do I want X or Y?” … Continue reading →

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Corollary

Posted on April 15, 2012 by

I know somebody figured it out before me, but it still feels like one of my own creations because I figured it out myself. Remember that neat little proof.? Well, there’s a neat little corollary that I’ve been meaning to … Continue reading →

Posted in math | 1 Comment

Probability is a matter of perspective

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

One of my favorite hobbies is predicting outcomes, and my dirty little secret is that I like to be as ignorant as possible when I’m doing it (assuming it’s not influencing an important decision). When I rely more on deduction … Continue reading →

Posted in blather, economics, life tips, math | Leave a comment

Standard assumptions

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

The title won’t make sense at first. During lunch, I was mulling over the concept of calories. Calorie intake alone doesn’t provide you with an accurate picture of your health. It’s an objective measure, but it’s not very useful. What … Continue reading →

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