Re: Knowledge and Ignorance over Time

"Jay Dee" <ais01479_at_aeneas.net> wrote in message news:qF5of.179726$Hs.49758_at_tornado.ohiordc.rr.com...
> frosty wrote:
> >>David Cressey wrote:
> >>
> >>>Paul C. said that he's still far from a database expert. So am I. But
> >>>I've been learning, since about 1980.
> >>>
> >>>Over time (a long time!) I've noticed a pattern in the growth of my
> >>>knowledge.
> >>>
> >>>If my knowledge base is likened to a sphere in a boundless universe,
> >>>here's the pattern:
> >>>
> >>>My apparent knowledge grows like the radius of the sphere (like R).
> >>>My apparent ignorance grows like the surface area of the sphere
> >>>(like R squared).
> >>>And the number of things I must keep in my head grows like the
> >>>volume of the sphere (like R cubed).
> >>>
> >>>At some point, this looks like a case of diminishing marginal
> >>>returns. But I wouldn't choose to go back to being as ignorant as I
> >>>was when I was twenty, even if I got to be as smart as I was when I
> >>>was twenty.
> >>
> > Jay Dee wrote:
> >
> >>Close, but:
> >>Area of a sphere = 4 pi r^2
> >>Volume of a sphere = 4/3 pi r^3
> >
> >
> > I believe the word "like," in this context, means "in proportion to."
> > So, you are both right.
> >
> No "correction" was intended -- just clarification. Picky? You bet.

Believe it or not, I left the coefficients off of area and volume intentionally. What I wanted to make clear was the metaphor between linear, quadratic, and cubic. I felt I could deliver that metaphor more clearly without the "4 pi" and "4/3 pi" than with it. So I used the word, "like", a word often used in metaphors. Well, actually, if you want to be picky, the word "like" is often used in similes, not in metaphors.

I think that theory is more about abstraction than it is about attention to detail. But others may differ.
If one were to program the calculations, the precision of the formulas you cited would be necessary.

> Prickly? Sorry if it seemed that way; pedantic precision might be
> expected in a group named *.theory.

Yeah, it is. Sometimes it moves the discussion forward. Sometimes it doesn't. Received on Thu Dec 15 2005 - 10:42:07 CET