“THE TRIUMPH OF THEORY OVER REALITY”: NASA-Funded Mathematical Model Of Doom.

But when a result is based on a mathematical model—well! Just look at all those equations! Colorful graphs, too! We look at a paper written by mathematicians and think, “Anybody smart enough to go on and on about “dimensionless parameters” and “optimal depletion factors” must know what they’re talking about.” Right?

No, of course not.

All you need to understand about mathematical modeling is this: equations can be as error-free as Aristotelian syllogisms; nary a decimal out of place, but that does not imply that the use to which the equations are put is valid, or even sensible. Applying math to real life is not a mathematical operation, but a human act of interpretation.