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The "curve" in "flatten the curve" is an epidemic curve, not a Bell curve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic_curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic_
by rriepe 7y ago
The "curve" in "flatten the curve" is an epidemic curve, not a Bell curve.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic_curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic_curve
- mikekij 7y agoFair. But the curves on the document referenced above are not epidemic curves. They’re unbounded exponential growth curves. My criticism of the report stands.
- rriepe 7y agoYeah it was a great post. Just adding that note. The exponential curves are somewhat useful early in an outbreak. It's confusing right now because some places are still "early" and some places are way past the point where those curves are descriptive. So they won't describe NYC at all but they're still somewhat working nationally.
- ScottBurson 7y agoAnd "bell" in "bell curve" shouldn't be capitalized -- it's not someone's name, it's just that the curve has (somewhat) the shape of a bell.