my word!!

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by Gustav, Oct 20, 2007.

  1. Gustav Banned Banned

    Messages:
    12,575
    for the day is...theorum

    i have'nt a clue as to why i am in this particular wiki page

    equally clueless as to why in the wiki at all
    mustta have made a wrong turn

    whatever
    the eyeballs engaged and came across this...

    In mathematics, a theorem is a statement, often stated in natural language, that can be proved on the basis of explicitly stated or previously agreed assumptions.

    and got confused
    but but
    dont we spit on theories?

    /pauses

    bah

    the internet spits on novelty and weak attempts at originality

    ps: i see chroot coadministering our sister forum along with greg

    /chortle

    pps: coadministering or co-administering?
     
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  3. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,690
    Fortunately you spelled it right the second time.
    Good definition. Remember that mathematics is not a science. Its theories are not derived from empirical observation like scientific theories. They are derived from pure abstraction.

    1+1=2

    This is not an observation on how the universe works. It is one of the rules in an abstract system we invented to help us observe and understand the universe.
    I don't know who you mean by "we." This website is a gathering place for scientists, future scientists and people who want to discuss or learn science. Theories are respected here, so long as they follow the rules of their particular discipline. On the hard science boards like physics, a theory must adhere to the scientific method: a prediction of how the universe will work, derived by logical reasoning from observations of how it has worked in the past, peer-reviewed, disprovable but not provable, formed by rejecting the simplest explanation before moving on the the more complex ones, etc. In the soft sciences like linguistics, psychology, and sociology, the rules are looser, but still a theory must be derived logically from some sort of evidence, rather than instinct, imagination or authority, it must be peer-reviewed, and it must be disprovable. Math, not being a science, has its own rules. Its theories are based purely on thoughts and reasoning, and they can be proven true. But they are still peer-reviewed and they can also be proven false.
    As an editor I use the standard that if the word is well established, like "coworker," then it doesn't require a hyphen. Otherwise it does. When in doubt, use the hyphen for clarity. I would certainly use it here.

    Whenever I see the word coworker I think it's somebody who makes a living by orking cows. Nasty, dangerous work!
     
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