tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-599474448415376807.post6479680609820108676..comments2023-09-08T11:44:27.079-04:00Comments on Living Life As It Unfolds: Unfolding the VariablesJNPmommiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10026997612729147113noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-599474448415376807.post-69224919700014768282011-04-01T09:12:42.302-04:002011-04-01T09:12:42.302-04:00"... constant variable ...," is this an ..."... constant variable ...," is this an oxymoron? If something is constant, it does not vary. If something changes, it is not constant. Oh well, I will leave this one for smarter people to unravel.<br /><br />While mentally changing your piece to just "constant" (taking off the variable part), this is a very interesting topic for me. Perhaps I didn't learn much in engineering graduate school, the idea of these three terms was very important. I did my research thesis on structural optimization. I know, I know, ... this might be too detailed for somebody having trouble with geometry and minimal information for triangle problems. In a very short summary, the optimization problem was to find the best design, allowing certain parameters to vary, but minimizing (or maximizing) an objective function. One such application might include finding the best mechanically designed part, using the least amount of material, and yet meeting all the stress and deflection limits.<br /><br />These problems were built around having independent and dependent variables. The stress functions were dependent upon the shape of a structural member. The volume of a member was dependent upon the dimensions of a member, such as a beam. The material characteristics were constant, such as modulus of elasticity, acceptable maximum stress.<br /><br />But, the concepts are not unique to structural optimization. I do much reading of letters, comments, bulletin boards, etc. I see a lack of understanding of these concepts. Information is used to an effort to justify a position, when it is unrelated to the path to form the position. In other words, the information has no bearing on the outcome. The information may be right in its own way, but has nothing to do with the subject at hand.<br /><br />In the end, these ideas are related to critical thinking. Being able to sort through facts, information, and "stuff" and to be able to understand the interrelationships is so important. I fear that development of critical thinking skills is being lost in our education system. In our age of information technology, it is so easy to get trapped into just gathering facts and information, and then not knowing what to do with it, how it is interrelated, and the value in development of a principle or idea. The fun and excitement of learning so much on its own merit may jeopardize one's ability make use of the harvest. Learning how to categorize the facts into the dependent variable, the constant, and the independent variable can be a valuable skill.<br /><br />Is this what the science fair was about?Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17538693598608138640noreply@blogger.com