September 09, 2010 09:00PM
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Admin
Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 3,738
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Neither of the examples you posit is the way science is done.
The "scientific method" is an easily-graspable model that we can teach to students to have them do the work in a systematic way. It's easily replicable for experiments where we know the outcome. It's only done in a learning environment.
"Flash of light" is a bad term, because the person with the achievement leap has done a huge amount of background work in the field. I could have a "flash of light" insight about lightweight aircraft or power grids, but that doesn't mean that my idea would be original or even useful or plausible.
In a field where I've done a lot of reading and some work the results would be different. If I had a flash of insight saying that I could apply Cayley trees in studying a "social-based small worlds network" on an "information grounds" to model information exchange behaviors (one of my more recent flashes of light, actually), then several things occur:
* I know where to look for additional information and corroborating evidence/papers/experiments
* I know how to design a method of verifying the information and whether or not I need a null hypothesis or a different measurement.
* I know how to create a valid research question (something that can be measured and actually done - doing a "scientific method" doesn't work when you're studying communications between human beings.)
* I know who to check with to make sure it isn't a Flash of Stupid instead of a Flash of Light and whose suggestions can improve my research.
Everyone's seen apples fall... but only Newton knew enough about mathematics and planetary motion to make a valid link that advanced science.
-- Byrd
Moderator, Hall of Ma'at
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Jammer |
September 08, 2010 10:31AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 08, 2010 10:37AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 08, 2010 11:46AM |
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Jammer |
September 08, 2010 02:07PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 08, 2010 02:28PM |
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Pete Clarke |
September 08, 2010 03:29PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 08, 2010 08:08PM |
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cladking |
September 08, 2010 04:15PM |
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Jammer |
September 08, 2010 05:09PM |
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cladking |
September 08, 2010 06:07PM |
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Jammer |
September 08, 2010 05:14PM |
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cladking |
September 08, 2010 06:56PM |
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Jammer |
September 09, 2010 05:20AM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 10:58AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 09, 2010 11:31AM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 03:45PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 10, 2010 10:22AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 09, 2010 10:38AM |
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Jammer |
September 09, 2010 05:22AM |
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sansahansan |
September 09, 2010 08:17AM |
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Jammer |
September 09, 2010 10:39AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 09, 2010 10:51AM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 11:06AM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 09, 2010 02:46PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 09, 2010 02:58PM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 09, 2010 08:10PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 10, 2010 10:33AM |
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Jammer |
September 10, 2010 10:52AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 10, 2010 10:59AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 10, 2010 11:31AM |
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Jammer |
September 10, 2010 01:38PM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 03:47PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 09, 2010 03:59PM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 05:40PM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 09, 2010 08:05PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 10, 2010 10:31AM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 10, 2010 03:27PM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 11:04AM |
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Hermione |
September 09, 2010 09:31AM |
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cladking |
September 09, 2010 11:08AM |
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Byrd |
September 09, 2010 09:00PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 09, 2010 10:13PM |
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Byrd |
September 10, 2010 12:37AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 10, 2010 12:46AM |
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Jammer |
September 10, 2010 10:44AM |
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Byrd |
September 10, 2010 04:25PM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 10, 2010 08:20PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 11, 2010 11:09AM |
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sansahansan |
September 13, 2010 10:54AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 13, 2010 11:23AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 13, 2010 11:39AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 13, 2010 12:05PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 13, 2010 05:02PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 14, 2010 12:09PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 14, 2010 12:25PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 14, 2010 01:51PM |
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Jammer |
September 14, 2010 03:33PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 14, 2010 04:19PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 14, 2010 05:56PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 14, 2010 06:03PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 14, 2010 09:04PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 14, 2010 09:30PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 15, 2010 08:55AM |
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Jammer |
September 16, 2010 03:12PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 15, 2010 08:53AM |
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sansahansan |
September 15, 2010 09:28AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 15, 2010 12:25PM |
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Jammer |
September 16, 2010 03:18PM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 13, 2010 04:44PM |
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cladking |
September 15, 2010 05:54PM |
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cladking |
September 15, 2010 05:58PM |
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sansahansan |
September 16, 2010 10:58AM |
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Rich |
September 16, 2010 12:10PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 16, 2010 12:54PM |
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sansahansan |
September 16, 2010 02:00PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 16, 2010 03:22PM |
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cladking |
September 16, 2010 05:40PM |
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Jammer |
September 16, 2010 03:41PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 16, 2010 05:00PM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 16, 2010 11:03PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 17, 2010 12:14AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 17, 2010 03:19PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 17, 2010 08:57PM |
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Rich |
September 17, 2010 12:03PM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 17, 2010 01:08PM |
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cladking |
September 16, 2010 05:45PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 17, 2010 02:57PM |
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sansahansan |
September 21, 2010 11:01AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 21, 2010 11:42AM |
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sansahansan |
September 21, 2010 02:43PM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 21, 2010 03:32PM |
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Rich |
September 21, 2010 03:11PM |
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sansahansan |
September 22, 2010 08:54AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
September 22, 2010 10:26AM |
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sansahansan |
September 22, 2010 11:57AM |
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cladking |
September 22, 2010 07:21PM |
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cladking |
September 23, 2010 10:19PM |
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Khazar-khum |
September 24, 2010 01:15AM |
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sansahansan |
October 13, 2010 11:16AM |
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cladking |
October 14, 2010 05:57PM |
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Jammer |
October 15, 2010 03:24PM |
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sansahansan |
October 20, 2010 03:43PM |
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cladking |
October 21, 2010 11:21AM |
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sansahansan |
October 21, 2010 02:25PM |
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cladking |
October 21, 2010 03:52PM |
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Khazar-khum |
October 22, 2010 02:52AM |
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Warwick L Nixon |
October 23, 2010 10:06AM |
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sansahansan |
October 25, 2010 09:17AM |