Klarinet Archive - Posting 000149.txt from 2004/08

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Different worlds....
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 19:44:10 -0400

Rick Janowski wrote:

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

Yes, but what Kelvin says there is very different from saying, "If you
can't quantify what you're doing, you can't do it well."

If you want to understand something---really, really understand
something from the bottom up---you have to get out there and make
measurements.

But to say that if you can't quantify something you can't *do* it is
plain idiocy which ought to be obviously false just by everyday experience.

Incidentally, while measuring definitely involves quantification, I
think it would be pretty impossible in many cases to quantify what makes
scientists choose to point their measuring equipment in *that particular
direction* which turns out to be worthwhile.

-- Joe

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