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UPenn Professor Solving DiffEQ on Scratchpad Causes Plane to Return to Gate

posted by cmn32480 on Sunday May 08 2016, @11:49PM   Printer-friendly
from the I-can't-solve-DiffEq-with-a-computer dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

This just in from the front lines of the War on the Unusual:

University of Pennsylvania economics professor Guido Menzio was solving a set of differential equations on a plane departing the Philadelphia airport when the woman next to him surreptitiously passed a note to a flight attendant telling them she thought he was a terrorist because of the strange things he was writing on a pad of paper. The plane returned to the gate where he was questioned. At least this time the pilot had enough sense not to kick him off the flight.

Remember folks, if you see something say something!

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by frojack on Monday May 09 2016, @06:54PM

    by frojack (1554) Subscriber Badge on Monday May 09 2016, @06:54PM (#343825) Journal

    I know how to prove my molecules are behaving right - I do not think the econmists can say the same thing...

    But its just your unfamiliarity with the entire field of Economics that leads you to the false assumption that they care to make such a determination, - and more importantly - that economics operates with an assumption that there is such a thing as "behaving right".

    You might just as well grouse that the fish don't pedal the bicycle in the most efficient way as complain that the Economist can't measure the "rightness" of individual behavior.

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
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  • (Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Monday May 09 2016, @07:26PM

    by opinionated_science (4031) on Monday May 09 2016, @07:26PM (#343845)

    I modded you funny, because you're right! I know nothing formal about economics, but when a professor cannot defend themselves with anything other than hand waving, I feel my grasp of precision is perhaps moot....

    There's always room for improvement, and I'm holding out for some computer models ;-)