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So are you left brain dominant? I'm right brained, very visual, so I got geometry and algebra killed me.
I think I come out pretty "centrist" in those tests, like I use both sides of my brain fairly evenly but I lean left-brained. I am a lefty, so I find all of this right brain/left brain stuff very interesting, especially since they like to tell you that all lefties are right-brained.
Sounds like we would've made a great team if we were mathletes!
Options and Results:
1. "you are fired."
2. "we did and this is what we got."
3. "how does that help?"
4. See #1
5. See #2
6. "we lost the bid. You are all laid off."
7. "ok...but this doesn't help with the RFP"
8. See #3.
ok...now without the sarcasm, how would you solve the problem?
Well, that is how we solved the problem. We were more civilized about it, but that is exactly how it got resolved. Management was taken out of the loop, except for one man who was the go-between. The programmers made best guess estimates of the finish date, we added two months to that, and any time an addition to the program came down from above time was added accordingly.
It worked great. The programmers didn't spend half their time looking over their shoulders waiting for the hammer to fall and constantly explaining what they were doing to managers that dropped in when ever they felt like it. As a result programming estimates were shorter and deadlines, while not always met, were very close 90% of the time. Close enough that management was pleased.
I will, however try to find some time to seriously look at what you have. Got a neighbor coming over to drink and ***** about life tonight so I doubt anything intelligent would come out of my brain if I did try... So it will be later, dude!
So are you left brain dominant? I'm right brained, very visual, so I got geometry and algebra killed me.
I have no clue what the difference is. I can tell you:
I am artistic, I'm certainly not great at it, but I can draw things so you know what they are. I can't explain anything without a pencil and a piece of paper. I can go to the store with my wife, have her hold up a piece of clothing and ask me if it will match something in her closet and be right every time.
I do math in my head. Usually faster than someone using a calculator. This does depend on how tired I am, stress, etc., but most of the time I don't really think about the numbers I just put them on my mental blackboard and let my brain figure it out. It spits out an answer.
I don't understand how someone could do well enough on the math portion of the SAT to get into college without having taken algebra. I took some algebra in third grade in a gifted program, and then after we moved took it again in 8th grade, which was a year ahead - all but the LD students took it in 9th grade.
I don't know; they joined the military (which a good amount of my high school friends did do) or the went to vo-tech or cc (which a lot did, too). My high school's guide lines where to take Algebra I and Algebra II followed by what ever other math course that you chose to take, if you wanted more math. Most people that I knew in high school took Geometry and then Algebra I, or Geometry and pre-Algebra, or Geometry and Business Math.
Well, that is how we solved the problem. We were more civilized about it, but that is exactly how it got resolved. Management was taken out of the loop, except for one man who was the go-between. The programmers made best guess estimates of the finish date, we added two months to that, and any time an addition to the program came down from above time was added accordingly.
It worked great. The programmers didn't spend half their time looking over their shoulders waiting for the hammer to fall and constantly explaining what they were doing to managers that dropped in when ever they felt like it. As a result programming estimates were shorter and deadlines, while not always met, were very close 90% of the time. Close enough that management was pleased.
I will, however try to find some time to seriously look at what you have. Got a neighbor coming over to drink and ***** about life tonight so I doubt anything intelligent would come out of my brain if I did try... So it will be later, dude!
Tek.
Well, the way I solved the problem was to:
1) Since the programmers had been involved in the original estimates, I involved them in devloping a solution so we could be profitable.
2) Used the Erlang Distribution and Gaussian Statistics to determine the Maximum, Minimum, Most Likely task completion times.
3) Used Parametric Statistics to determine the project completion effort with a 95% confidence interfal.
Results:
1) Within 3 months, programmers morale improved as they were no longer "held accountable" for missed estimates, and they could concentrate on what they do best.
2) Within 5 months, we were able to change our net losses of 11% into net income of 8%.
3) Within 11 months, our net income grew to 15%. Which was our target.
4) After 4 years the company was sold to a venture between IBM and Baxter Travenol at a hugh profit--each of the programmers were paid a bonus of $50,000 and they all kept their jobs at the new company.
Well, the way I solved the problem was to:
1) Since the programmers had been involved in the original estimates, I involved them in devloping a solution so we could be profitable.
2) Used the Erlang Distribution and Gaussian Statistics to determine the Maximum, Minimum, Most Likely task completion times.
3) Used Parametric Statistics to determine the project completion effort with a 95% confidence interfal.
Results:
1) Within 3 months, programmers morale improved as they were no longer "held accountable" for missed estimates, and they could concentrate on what they do best.
2) Within 5 months, we were able to change our net losses of 11% into net income of 8%.
3) Within 11 months, our net income grew to 15%. Which was our target.
4) After 4 years the company was sold to a venture between IBM and Baxter Travenol at a hugh profit--each of the programmers were paid a bonus of $50,000 and they all kept their jobs at the new company.
Algebra Rocks!
But unless you did these calculations by hand, I'm not sure where the algebra comes in. My guess is that your actual work involved pointing and clicking.
But unless you did these calculations by hand, I'm not sure where the algebra comes in. My guess is that your actual work involved pointing and clicking.
The statistical models were developed by hand. Then they were tested using an Excel spreadsheet. Then they were "corrected" by hand, and re-tested using Excel again. Once they appeared to be correct, they were transposed into a computer program, which ran on a UNIX server.
Algebra was needed to develop the models, to "code" them into Excel, to ascertain their correctness.
But unless you did these calculations by hand, I'm not sure where the algebra comes in. My guess is that your actual work involved pointing and clicking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcashley
The statistical models were developed by hand. Then they were tested using an Excel spreadsheet. Then they were "corrected" by hand, and re-tested using Excel again. Once they appeared to be correct, they were transposed into a computer program, which ran on a UNIX server.
Algebra was needed to develop the models, to "code" them into Excel, to ascertain their correctness.
Just because you don't sit down and manually solve problems, doesn't mean you aren't using algebra. I don't sit down with some paper and calculate variances or derivatives, but that doesn't mean I don't use statistics, calculus, or algebra at work on a daily basis. However, you still need an understanding of the underlying principles to accurately develop, test, correct, and interpret a model.
Not to mention that many popular statistical models are too complex to do by hand (it would just take way too long).
The statistical models were developed by hand. Then they were tested using an Excel spreadsheet. Then they were "corrected" by hand, and re-tested using Excel again. Once they appeared to be correct, they were transposed into a computer program, which ran on a UNIX server.
Algebra was needed to develop the models, to "code" them into Excel, to ascertain their correctness.
I stand corrected. And impressed! Though I guess it depends on how much data you're working with. I've rarely been involved in a data analysis where the sample size was small enough to warrant doing anything by hand. Though I do remember stats professors claiming to do factor analyses by hand in the days before computers. Ouch!
And while I agree that there's algebra and god only knows what other math underlying these programs, most of them are fairly "dummy proof" and don't require much, if any, knowledge of math to run.
Last edited by emh; 02-05-2009 at 01:28 PM..
Reason: addition
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