Alan Garfinkel – författare

What makes one explanation better than another?  How can we tell when an explanation has really answered our question?  In a lively and readable discussion, Garfinkel argues that the key to understanding an explanation is to discover what question is really being answered.  He then suggests criteria for a good explanation and goes on to examine some classic explanations in social and natural science.

This text introduces statistics to beginning students in a distinctly original and non-traditional way. It assumes minimal mathematical or statistical background, yet offers substantial depth that will also engage experienced practitioners. Motivated by the growing call to move beyond the statistical practices and concepts that contributed to the current “reproducibility crisis,” the book encourages readers to rethink what statistics is, how it is used, and how it should be taught. Instead of memorizing formulas that were derived as approximations under unrealistic assumptions, modern computing enables us to simulate scenarios thousands of times in seconds and simply count outcomes.Taking this computational approach as fundamental, the book provides thorough coverage of the material, including describing and presenting data, two-group and multi-group comparisons, correlation, regression, statistical power and Bayesianism, deliberately forgoing many standard techniques in favor of simulation-based methods. This philosophy is gaining momentum. The authors’ previous text, Modeling Life, which offers an equally distinctive approach to teaching calculus, continues to expand its readership and adoptions, and was awarded the Textbook and Academic Authors Association Textbook Excellence Award.The writing captures the spirit of an engaging lecture—refreshingly candid, clearly explained, and richly illustrated. The text is filled with worked examples using real data, computer code, and practical guidance for presenting results effectively. Diagrams and figures enhance readability, and the resampling illustrations in particular provide intuitive visual cues that clarify the underlying processes. By revisiting key strategies throughout, the book builds conceptual understanding in layers, helping students develop a strong and coherent framework for success. The authors also provide templates for writing statistical methods sections appropriate for research papers and grant proposals. The book provides rich historical material tracing the relationship between statistics and its practical applications, giving important contexts for understanding how the dominant traditions in statistics came to be. Finally, it charts a pathway for the next generation of applied statistics students.

This text introduces statistics to beginning students in a distinctly original and non-traditional way. It assumes minimal mathematical or statistical background, yet offers substantial depth that will also engage experienced practitioners. Motivated by the growing call to move beyond the statistical practices and concepts that contributed to the current “reproducibility crisis,” the book encourages readers to rethink what statistics is, how it is used, and how it should be taught. Instead of memorizing formulas that were derived as approximations under unrealistic assumptions, modern computing enables us to simulate scenarios thousands of times in seconds and simply count outcomes.Taking this computational approach as fundamental, the book provides thorough coverage of the material, including describing and presenting data, two-group and multi-group comparisons, correlation, regression, statistical power and Bayesianism, deliberately forgoing many standard techniques in favor of simulation-based methods. This philosophy is gaining momentum. The authors’ previous text, Modeling Life, which offers an equally distinctive approach to teaching calculus, continues to expand its readership and adoptions, and was awarded the Textbook and Academic Authors Association Textbook Excellence Award.The writing captures the spirit of an engaging lecture—refreshingly candid, clearly explained, and richly illustrated. The text is filled with worked examples using real data, computer code, and practical guidance for presenting results effectively. Diagrams and figures enhance readability, and the resampling illustrations in particular provide intuitive visual cues that clarify the underlying processes. By revisiting key strategies throughout, the book builds conceptual understanding in layers, helping students develop a strong and coherent framework for success. The authors also provide templates for writing statistical methods sections appropriate for research papers and grant proposals. The book provides rich historical material tracing the relationship between statistics and its practical applications, giving important contexts for understanding how the dominant traditions in statistics came to be. Finally, it charts a pathway for the next generation of applied statistics students.

This book develops the mathematical tools essential for students in the life sciences to describe interacting systems and predict their behavior. From predator-prey populations in an ecosystem, to hormone regulation within the body, the natural world abounds in dynamical systems that affect us profoundly. Complex feedback relations and counter-intuitive responses are common in nature; this book develops the quantitative skills needed to explore these interactions.Differential equations are the natural mathematical tool for quantifying change, and are the driving force throughout this book. The use of Euler’s method makes nonlinear examples tractable and accessible to a broad spectrum of early-stage undergraduates, thus providing a practical alternative to the procedural approach of a traditional Calculus curriculum. Tools are developed within numerous, relevant examples, with an emphasis on the construction, evaluation, and interpretation of mathematical models throughout. Encountering these concepts in context, students learn not only quantitative techniques, but how to bridge between biological and mathematical ways of thinking.Examples range broadly, exploring the dynamics of neurons and the immune system, through to population dynamics and the Google PageRank algorithm. Each scenario relies only on an interest in the natural world; no biological expertise is assumed of student or instructor. Building on a single prerequisite of Precalculus, the book suits a two-quarter sequence for first or second year undergraduates, and meets the mathematical requirements of medical school entry. The later material provides opportunities for more advanced students in both mathematics and life sciences to revisit theoretical knowledge in a rich, real-world framework. In all cases, the focus is clear: how does the math help us understand the science?

This book develops the mathematical tools essential for students in the life sciences to describe interacting systems and predict their behavior. From predator-prey populations in an ecosystem, to hormone regulation within the body, the natural world abounds in dynamical systems that affect us profoundly. Complex feedback relations and counter-intuitive responses are common in nature; this book develops the quantitative skills needed to explore these interactions.

Differential equations are the natural mathematical tool for quantifying change, and are the driving force throughout this book. The use of Euler’s method makes nonlinear examples tractable and accessible to a broad spectrum of early-stage undergraduates, thus providing a practical alternative to the procedural approach of a traditional Calculus curriculum. Tools are developed within numerous, relevant examples, with an emphasis on the construction, evaluation, and interpretation of mathematical models throughout. Encountering these concepts in context, students learn not only quantitative techniques, but how to bridge between biological and mathematical ways of thinking.

Examples range broadly, exploring the dynamics of neurons and the immune system, through to population dynamics and the Google PageRank algorithm. Each scenario relies only on an interest in the natural world; no biological expertise is assumed of student or instructor. Building on a single prerequisite of Precalculus, the book suits a two-quarter sequence for first or second year undergraduates, and meets the mathematical requirements of medical school entry. The later material provides opportunities for more advanced students in both mathematics and life sciences to revisit theoretical knowledge in a rich, real-world framework. In all cases, the focus is clear: how does the math help us understand the science?