25th July 2004, 10:51 PM
http://members.cox.net/mathmistakes/polling.htm
I just thought I'd post this here. This particular person happens to host a page that reveals many mistakes people make with math. For example, the dimensional unawareness. In less dimensions, something can seem like a much bigger deal than in bigger dimensions, for example while in 1D, lining up everyone end to end would stretch to the moon and back, in 2D, suddenly everyone can live in the space of Texas with a population density similar to New York, and in 3D, everyone can have a small apartment, all stacked on top of each other as well as side by side, and it wouldn't fill up the Grand Canyon.
Anyway, this person is pretty logical, and is pointing out here the problems with counting votes unless the terms are clearly outlined to start with.
I just thought I'd post this here. This particular person happens to host a page that reveals many mistakes people make with math. For example, the dimensional unawareness. In less dimensions, something can seem like a much bigger deal than in bigger dimensions, for example while in 1D, lining up everyone end to end would stretch to the moon and back, in 2D, suddenly everyone can live in the space of Texas with a population density similar to New York, and in 3D, everyone can have a small apartment, all stacked on top of each other as well as side by side, and it wouldn't fill up the Grand Canyon.
Anyway, this person is pretty logical, and is pointing out here the problems with counting votes unless the terms are clearly outlined to start with.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)