Klarinet Archive - Posting 000148.txt from 2004/08

From: Rick Janowski <rick@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Different worlds....
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 19:33:19 -0400

Maybe a reference to a quote widely attributed to Lord Kelvin:

"When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in
numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when
you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and
unsatisfactory kind."

From http://octopus.phy.bg.ac.yu/web_projects/giants/kelvin.html:

William Thomson, who was knighted in 1866 and was raised to the peerage in
1892 (as Baron Kelvin of Largs) in recognition of his work in engineering
and physics, was foremost among the small group of British scientists who
helped to lay the foundations of modern physics. His contributions to
science included a major role in the development of the second law of
thermodynamics; the absolute temperature scale (measured in kelvins); the
dynamical theory of heat; the mathematical analysis of electricity and
magnetism, including the basic ideas for the electromagnetic theory of
light; the geophysical determination of the age of the Earth; and
fundamental work in hydrodynamics. His theoretical work on submarine
telegraphy and his inventions for use on submarine cables aided Britain in
capturing a preeminent place in world communication during the 19th century.

(I wish I could be an idiot like that ;-)

-Rick

At 12:28 PM 8/5/2004, you wrote:
>The person who I believe to be the original author made the statement
>specifically about science. And you would have to dig him up in order to
>shoot him!
>
>At 03:02 PM 8/5/2004, you wrote:
>> --- Ormondtoby Montoya <ormondtoby@-----.net> wrote:
>>
>> > "If you can't quantify what you're doing, you can't do it well."
>> >
>> > The statement above was made in a newspaper article that had nothing to
>> > do with music. It illustrates the danger of generalizing too far.
>>
>>I'd go further.
>>
>>It's complete crap, written by an idiot who should be shot. Many of the
>>present ills of the world can be traced to this sort of idea.
>>
>>Tony

----------
Rick Janowski
rick@-----.com
(408) 366-8810
(408) 832-3390 (cell)

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