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“First, we assume a spherical cow ... ”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2002

Lera Boroditsky  and
Michael Ramscar
Lera Boroditsky
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305–2130 lera@psych.stanford.edu http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~lera/
Michael Ramscar
Affiliation:
School of Cognitive Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9LW, Scotland michael@dai.ed.ac.uk http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/michael/
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Abstract

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There is an old joke about a theoretical physicist who was charged with figuring out how to increase the milk production of cows. Although many farmers, biologists, and psychologists had tried and failed to solve the problem before him, the physicist had no trouble coming up with a solution on the spot. “First,” he began, “we assume a spherical cow ... ” [Tenenbaum & Griffiths]

Information

Type
Brief Report
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , August 2001 , pp. 656 - 657
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press