mathematics vs experience

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mathematics vs experience
Message posted by K. Long on October 3, 1999 at 12:00 AM (ET)

I have had one elementary course in business statistics. I never understood how much of statistics was based on math and how much based on experience. Do standard deviations depend on pure math or is this a result of experience? Thank you from "confused"

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Re: mathematics vs experience
Message posted by JG on October 3, 1999 at 12:00 AM (ET)

Standard deviation is a mathematical concept that experience has shown to be very useful. Similarly, the idea of masculine and feminine or adjactive and verb are theoretical concepts that experience has shown to be useful.

Standard deviation is especially useful when we believe that we are dealing with numbers that vary according to a 'normal' distribution or 'bell' shaped curve.

Everything depends on experience although some believe that certain ideas or patterns are genetically programmed. Mathematics helps us organize, summerize, analize and communicate to others our experiences. Data + processing produces information and information plus judgement or intuition produces decisions. Decision may be actions or ideas about how we are constructed and how the world works.

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