Books

Books that I have written.

pyndamics3

Dynamical systems simulation in Python. Includes both continuous and stochastic simulation.

Stats for Everyone

An introductory stats book from a Bayesian perspective, including Python software.

Blog

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"Why I became an atheist" Part 1 and Part 2- John Loftus & Peter May - 05 April 2008, 12 April 2008

As part of the Unbelievable Project, I am taking notes and "arm-chair" responding to each of the Unbelievable podcast episodes satisfying a set of simple rules.

See here for a …

#Unbelievable Project

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Gravitational Attraction

What would happen if two people out in space a few meters apart, abandoned by their spacecraft, decided to wait until gravity pulled them together? My initial thought was that …

#science

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A Simple Physics Problem Gets Messy

A physics problem from a practice AP test came to my attention, when my daughter was in AP physics this past spring. I went over her solutions when she did …

#science

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A Measure of Faith - Probability in Religious Thought

From the trivial to the monumental our decisions are governed by – or should be governed by – rational thought. This book explores the role of rational thought as described by the …

#books

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Dynamical systems with pyndamics

Describe dynamical systems in terms of the differential equations without having to write the coding loops or functions. Easily plot the changes in the variables, show phase plots, and vector …

#projects

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Stats for Everyone

Have a statistics question or project? I'd love to hear from you! One of my goals is to bring statistical reasoning to everyone, both as a general framework for rational …

#books

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Models of Learning and Memory

Simulate biologically derived neural networks of medium complexity - both rate- and spike-based models. Explore the dynamics of synaptic plasticity under different input environments, including low-dimensional vector environments and natural image …

#books

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Statistical Inference for Everyone (sie)

This is a new approach to an introductory statistical inference textbook, motivated by probability theory as logic. It is targeted to the typical Statistics 101 college student, and covers the …

#projects

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Pennies! An example from Statistical Inference for Everyone

SIE

I just added an example of simple model construction to my textbook, Statistical Inference for Everyone. It's a process I don't think I've ever seen in an intro stats book …

#projects

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Is Astrology Scientific? On the Possible Meanings of "Scientific"

In a recent article bemoaning the pseudoscientific attitudes of the public, I was struck by the following result: When given the question...

Astrology is

  1. scientific
  2. sort of scientific
  3. not at …

#articles

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Creationism Laid Bare

Seems as if everyone is talking about the recent Ken Ham vs Bill Nye debate on evolution and creation, so I figured I'd put in my two cents.

  1. I couldn't …

#articles

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Anyone using the term "scientific proof" doesn't know science

In my introduction to probability in class this week, I was asked if proof and evidence really meant the same thing. They don't. To summarize,

Proof does not exist in …

#articles

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Properly Basic Obscurantism

I was listening to a debate about the irrationality of theism, and the theist, Randall Rauser introduced me to a concept in philosophy that I had not heard of: properly …

#articles

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Philosophy and Science - What's the Difference?

In a discussion on The Limits Of Science with Lawrence Krass, Dan Dennett, and Massimo Pigliucci, there is much haggling over the relationship between science and philosophy. Although I think …

#articles

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The Cover Art for Statistical Inference for Everyone (sie)

The cover art for my book, Statistical Inference for Everyone, is something created by me and I'd like to explain my design. We have a picture of Saturn, taken by …

#projects

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Life, Meaning, and Entropy

I just watched a very nice video about our short time on this planet. I particularly like how he says we "defy entropy and impermanence through our films and our …

#wordpress_migration

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Nobel Prize - The "Higgs" and Predictions

So around 50 years ago a number of scientists made a prediction for an unseen particle (typically referred to as the 'Higgs boson' but also sometimes as the 'God particle' …

#wordpress_migration

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What would it take for me to believe the Resurrection?

So in a comment on a previous post, I am asked

“what sort of evidence would convince you of, let’s say, the resurrection of Jesus?”

I want to break …

#wordpress_migration