When it comes to being moralistic and contentious, I'm relucatant to defer
to anyone, but my only goal in this message is to pass along one of my
favorite journal citations. Bob Hayden just wrote the following:
> It as if someone needed the volume of the Statue of Liberty, and, not
> finding a formula for that shape, used instead the formula for the
> volume of a sphere ...
I don't disagree at all with Bob's point (there goes another chance to
be contentious!) but you can sometimes go a long way using the right
simplifying assumptions. Here's the reference:
O'Conner, M.P., and J.R. Spotilla (1992). "Consider a Spherical
Lizard: Animals, Models, and Approximations," _American Zoologist_ 32
pp. 179-193.
George
George W. Cobb
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA 01075
413-538-2401
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