Volcanic eruption, Ngauruhoe, New Zealand. Photo from National Geophysical Data Center (US).
QUOTES
Patrick Suppes
The fundamental laws of natural phenomena are essentially probabilistic rather
than deterministic in character.
Norman Swartz
All statistical propositions that satisfy all other requirements for
physical lawfulness are physical laws.
ARTICLES
Statistical mechanics unifies different ecological patterns
by Roderick C. Dewar and Annabel Porté
Maximum relative entropy as a tool for applying statistical mechanics to
ecology. (Abstract)
What characterises a useful concept of causation in epidemiology?
by J. Olsen
The best concept of causation is the concept that provides the most interesting
and useful results.
Determinism versus stochasticism: in support of long coffee breaks
by C. C. Tam and B. A. Lopman
Response to Olsen: developing new frameworks of causation will be crucial
for expanding the boundaries of epidemiology and liberating the field from
the confines of individualism.
Odds Are, It's Wrong
Supposedly, the proper use of statistics makes relying on scientific results
a safe bet. But in practice, widespread misuse of statistical methods makes
science more like a crapshoot.
DEMONSTRATIONS
Andrew
M. Rappe, JAVA Simulation of the Ideal Gas
The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is an important scientific principle which
describes how energy is distributed in a system. A JAVA applet allows you
to visualize and explore the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.
VIDEOS
John Mighton on The Ubiquitous Bell Curve
Are the laws of randomness so strong that we're stuck with existing distributions
of educational achievement in mathematics?
IMAGES
Einstein, dice and the bell curve
LINKS TO BOOK DESCRIPTIONS
Chance:
The Life of Games & the Game
of Life
by Joaquim P. Marques de Sá
The mathematics of chance in a broad variety of contexts.
Laws
of the Game: How the Principles of Nature Govern Chance
by Manfred Eigen
The unique feature of this book is the invention of a selection of games
(in the format of beads on a board, with moves affected by die throws)
designed to mimic aspects of science models. The point is that "dice
and rules" is a good description for scientific modeling involving
probability.
LINKS
Stochastikon
Stochastic methods for modelling, for reducing, and for controlling uncertainty,
in contrast to the methods of traditional science.
Non-technical
books relating to Probability
The notion of “chance” in these books is much broader than what mathematically-oriented
readers regard as “probability.”
