At 11:32 16.01.2008, Jim Lemon wrote: >(Ted Harding) wrote: > > On 16-Jan-08 08:45:04, Martin Maechler wrote: > > > >>>>>>>"RM" == Ron Michael <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>>>>>> on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:14:56 -0800 (PST) writes: > >> > >> RM> Hi all, > >> RM> Can anyone tell me why I am getting different results in > >>calculating SD of 2 numbers ? > >> > >> >> (1.25-0.95)/2 > >> RM> [1] 0.15 > >> >> sd(c(1.25, 0.95)) > >> RM> [1] 0.2121320 # why it is different from 0.15? > >> > >>because 1 is different from 2 ! > >>If 2 was 1, than sqrt(2) == 1 as well, but actually I don't > >>think the universe and we all would exist in that case .... > >>Martin Maechler, ETH > > > > > > Of course we would!! -- Since FALSE implies X is TRUE for any X. > > > > But FALSE would also imply that X is FALSE, so you are entitled > > to your view as well, Martin. > > >Then again, as pi might have been equal to 1 prior to the Big Bang, I >see no reason why sqrt(2) shouldn't have been equal to 1 as well. After >all, in those days we were all one... > >Jim >
Of course the question is off topic, but I like it. In my understanding mathematics is a theoretical model, that may or may not describe properly certain aspects of a "reality". I cannot see, why a theoretical model should have any influence on our existence, as long as we don't apply it in an unreasonable way. To believe in our existence or to prove it is a totally different case. Heinz ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
