There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
02-03-2015, 04:15 AM( This post was last modified: 02-03-2015, 04:17 AM by peter )
(01-31-2015, 07:40 PM)'brotherbear' Wrote: Can anyone explain this in layman terms? I do not pretend to have a college education.
Tigerluver found a way to predict the relation between chest girth and body mass in wild male tigers. This means he is able to predict body mass if he has the chest girth. The formula he has is increasingly accurate at a high level of abstraction. This means it gets more accurate as the number of observations rises.
For example. Let's assume the formula predicts an adult male tiger with a chest girth of 125 cm. should produce about 200 kg. Also assume we have the measurements of 25 individual tigers. Suppose not one of these is 200 kg., as the formula predicts. The conclusion could be the formula is wanting at the level of individuals. When you, however, calculate the average of all tigers with an average chest girth of 125 cm., the outcome is 203 kg. Very close to the mark, that is. Therefore, at the level of all 25 tigers, the formula is accurate.
In science, it is about the accuracy of predictions at a high level of abstraction. If your formula for, say, the best treatment of people suffering from a particular disease works at the level of all members of that particular group, it is sound. That, however, doesn't mean it works in all individual cases. And the other way round. What works for you, may prove to be wanting at the level of a group. Every individual is different, but at the level of a particular group distinct features shared by many will be visible. A formula that works for most members of a particular group is a good one.