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If the term "igon value" had been replaced with "eigenvalue", would the usage or context have been incorrect? In other words, a mere misspelling -- while embar

If the term "igon value" had been replaced with "eigenvalue", would the usage or context have been incorrect? In other words, a mere misspelling -- while embarrassing -- doesn't demonstrate that someone has "little-to-no math background".

trominos 17y ago
People who know what eigenvalues are don't misspell "eigenvalue" as "igon value," ever. Malcolm Gladwell doesn't know what eigenvalues are. That's the only point, really, but it's a pretty big one -- Gladwell's stock in trade is the popularization of counterintuitive statistical studies and their conclusions, and if he's never learnt any linear algebra he's not in a good position to actually understand those studies.
- thaumaturgy 17y ago
  Just addressing your first sentence -- since I don't know Gladwell well enough personally to respond to the others -- it's not beyond the realm of imagination that he uses a ghost writer, or that someone transcribes for him, or even that he uses voice recognition software (as one of my clients does, which prompted my initial response). My point was whether the usage was incorrect, because it's not impossible to misspell it and still know the meaning of the term.
  - jimmybot 17y ago
    Come on, Malcolm Gladwell isn't being ghostwritten. Anyone that good doesn't need a ghost writer, and if his ghost writer is that good, he's not going to be ghost writing instead of writing his own stuff and building his own name. Even if he were using a ghost writer, Gladwell didn't go back and read through?
    - wisty 17y ago
      It's may be more correct to say that Malcolm Gladwell does ghostwriting for the scientists he interviews.
jordanb 17y ago
Misspelling that word so badly does. I'm sorry. Eigenvalues are very fundamental to the types of math social scientists have to do. They are a core concept of linear algebra, which itself is all over modern statistics. Imagine if you get a book about geometry, and the author spells pi as "pie." What would you think of his competency? Confusing 'pi' with a homophone can only come from an incredibly superficial and lore-based understanding of the mathematics. Even if he offered an explanation was not technically wrong, it wouldn't do much to dissolve the suspicion that his understanding is based on lore. Most likely, he heard someone superficially explain "pie," recorded it or wrote it down in his notes, and then just used that explanation in his book. Actually our "pie" author would be in a better place than Gladwell, because he could blame it on a spell checker. But it's not possible for bad copy-editing to turn 'eigenvalue' into "Igon Value."
tudorachim 17y ago
There are others, and more information here: http://scienceblogs.com/pontiff/2009/11/igon_value_problems.php http://scienceblogs.com/pontiff/2009/11/igon_value_problems....

trominos 17y ago

People who know what eigenvalues are don't misspell "eigenvalue" as "igon value," ever. Malcolm Gladwell doesn't know what eigenvalues are. That's the only point, really, but it's a pretty big one -- Gladwell's stock in trade is the popularization of counterintuitive statistical studies and their conclusions, and if he's never learnt any linear algebra he's not in a good position to actually understand those studies.

thaumaturgy 17y ago
Just addressing your first sentence -- since I don't know Gladwell well enough personally to respond to the others -- it's not beyond the realm of imagination that he uses a ghost writer, or that someone transcribes for him, or even that he uses voice recognition software (as one of my clients does, which prompted my initial response). My point was whether the usage was incorrect, because it's not impossible to misspell it and still know the meaning of the term.
- jimmybot 17y ago
  Come on, Malcolm Gladwell isn't being ghostwritten. Anyone that good doesn't need a ghost writer, and if his ghost writer is that good, he's not going to be ghost writing instead of writing his own stuff and building his own name. Even if he were using a ghost writer, Gladwell didn't go back and read through?
  - wisty 17y ago
    It's may be more correct to say that Malcolm Gladwell does ghostwriting for the scientists he interviews.

jordanb 17y ago

Misspelling that word so badly does. I'm sorry. Eigenvalues are very fundamental to the types of math social scientists have to do. They are a core concept of linear algebra, which itself is all over modern statistics. Imagine if you get a book about geometry, and the author spells pi as "pie." What would you think of his competency? Confusing 'pi' with a homophone can only come from an incredibly superficial and lore-based understanding of the mathematics. Even if he offered an explanation was not technically wrong, it wouldn't do much to dissolve the suspicion that his understanding is based on lore. Most likely, he heard someone superficially explain "pie," recorded it or wrote it down in his notes, and then just used that explanation in his book. Actually our "pie" author would be in a better place than Gladwell, because he could blame it on a spell checker. But it's not possible for bad copy-editing to turn 'eigenvalue' into "Igon Value."

tudorachim 17y ago

There are others, and more information here: http://scienceblogs.com/pontiff/2009/11/igon_value_problems.php http://scienceblogs.com/pontiff/2009/11/igon_value_problems....