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September 10, 2009

Computer Modeling

astronomycosmosblackholedrawing.jpg


"I went on to test the program in every way I could devise. I strained it to expose its weaknesses. I ran it for high-mass stars and low-mass stars, for stars born exceedingly hot and those born relatively cold. I ran it assuming the superfluid currents beneath the crust to be absent -- not because I wanted to know the answer, but because I had developed an intuitive feel for the answer in this particular case. Finally I got a run in which the computer showed the pulsar's temperature to be less than absolute zero. I had found an error. I chased down the error and fixed it. Now I had improved the program to the point where it would not run at all." -- George Greenstein, "Frozen Star: Of Pulsars, Black Holes and the Fate of Stars"

Posted by Vanderleun at September 10, 2009 5:56 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

Could you please supply a link, kind sir?

Posted by: Patvann at September 10, 2009 8:11 PM

There is no link. I copied that from the book itself.

I'll get the Amazon link.

Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Star-Plume-George-Greenstein/dp/0452256933/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252640141&sr=1-2

Posted by: vanderleun at September 10, 2009 8:36 PM

There is no link. I copied that from the book itself.

I'll get the Amazon link.

Here:
http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Star-George-Greenstein/dp/0881910112

Posted by: vanderleun at September 10, 2009 8:38 PM

Thank you.
My father runs the amateur astronomy club here, and thought he might be interested in the modeling, as he also a retired IBM programmer.

http://www.sjaa.net/

Posted by: Patvann at September 11, 2009 10:07 AM

Two things, 1) "I had developed an intuitive feel for the answer in this particular case."--He built it to get the answer he wanted, and 2) "Now I had improved the program to the point where it would not run at all."--which means the answer he wanted wasn't the correct one.

And we want to do this for climate prediction which is actually far more complex than this. As someone who has done models that worked, modelling that makes headlines in our society is more akin to snake oil and magic beans than science.

Posted by: Bill at September 11, 2009 12:58 PM

In my last job I had project management duties (whatever those are, it seems no two people in the universe have the same idea) with regard to computer network security.

I wish words could express how much your punchline became part of our everyday life. It was funny at first. Years later, looking back I'm rather pleased that the whole thing didn't work out and I was forced to beat a retreat.

We were farmers -- farmers who sowed rock salt into the soil, as deep as we could get it. And we worked really, really hard at it. We had to, because our engine was inspected regularly to make sure every single piston ring, push rod, valve spring and timing belt was still broken.

Creating things is more rewarding than destroying things...at least, to a certain mindset. To others, destruction is the better way and I understand this now. It takes less thought, and it is much, much quicker.

Posted by: Morgan K Freeberg at September 13, 2009 6:06 PM

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