Enola Gay and all the controversy, discussions, name calling andeverything else it has brought up.

But still very open to the public, if anybody wanted to create
a fuss they certainly could. But this would presume a broader and
deeper knowledge of history than most potential protesters have.

The average protestor probably doesn't even know that a nuclear weapon
was dropped on Nagasaki, let alone that Bockscar dropped it.

If you want to have some fun with a bright anti-warrior sometime, ask
her: "Say, how many world wars were there, anyhow?" and watch the
wheels spin.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 14:07:42 -0500, Indrek Aavisto wrote:



Alan Minyard wrote:

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 04:22:37 GMT, "Gord Beaman" ) wrote:

"No Spam!" wrote:

Unfortunately, it's a little appreciated fact that half of the world's
population is below average in intelligence

I seem to be having trouble making sense out of this
statement...perhaps you could enlighten me please?...

Well, since the "average" is the mean, half will be
above it and half will be below it. Thus it is
correct to say "half of the world's population is below
average intelligence". How one goes about measuring
"intelligence" is a different kettle of fish.

Al Minyard

Perhaps the confusion arises from the definitions of "mean" and "median" The
terms are not necessarily synonymous. The mean, or average value of a population
is the sum of the values divided by the number of values in the population. The
median of a population of numbers arranged in order of size is the value that
has an equal number of values above it as below it.

Example: the average of the values 2, 3, 6, 8, 100 is (2+4+6+8+100)/5=24
The mean is 6 because there are two numbers more than six, and two numbers less
than six in the sample. Note that the average would also be six if the 100 were
to be replaced by a ten

Cheers

Correct, I was merely defining "mean" for those unfortunates who do not
understand the term.

Al Minyard

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 16:24:37 -0500, Dave Holford wrote:



Indrek Aavisto wrote:

Alan Minyard wrote:

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 04:22:37 GMT, "Gord Beaman" ) wrote:

"No Spam!" wrote:

Unfortunately, it's a little appreciated fact that half of the world's
population is below average in intelligence

I seem to be having trouble making sense out of this
statement...perhaps you could enlighten me please?...

Well, since the "average" is the mean, half will be
above it and half will be below it. Thus it is
correct to say "half of the world's population is below
average intelligence". How one goes about measuring
"intelligence" is a different kettle of fish.

Al Minyard

Perhaps the confusion arises from the definitions of "mean" and "median" The
terms are not necessarily synonymous. The mean, or average value of a population
is the sum of the values divided by the number of values in the population. The
median of a population of numbers arranged in order of size is the value that
has an equal number of values above it as below it.

Example: the average of the values 2, 3, 6, 8, 100 is (2+4+6+8+100)/5=24
The mean is 6 because there are two numbers more than six, and two numbers less
than six in the sample. Note that the average would also be six if the 100 were
to be replaced by a ten

Cheers

--
Indrek Aavisto
Sudbury, Ontario

"Criticism is easy; achievement is difficult" W. S. Churchill



Criticism is indeed easy; (Churchill loved semicolons).

The Average is the total of the values divided by the number of values -
in the example above it would be 23.8

The Mean is the value midway between the values of the smallest and
largest terms -
in the example above it would be 51

According to "Statistics For Economics" by McClave and Benson "The
mean of a set of quantitative data is equal to the sum of the measurements
divided by the number of measurements contained in the data set"
That is also known as the "average".

Al Minyard


The Median is the middle value of a series arranged in order of size -
in the example above it would be 6

The Mode is the value which occurs most frequently in the set -
in the example above there is no mode.

All of which assumes we are talking arithmetic and not geometry or some
other subject.

Dave

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 16:24:37 -0500, Dave Holford wrote:

The Average is the total of the values divided by the number of values -
in the example above it would be 23.8

The Mean is the value midway between the values of the smallest and
largest terms -
in the example above it would be 51

No, the mean is your definition of average, above.

The Median is the middle value of a series arranged in order of size -
in the example above it would be 6

Correct.


--
"It's easier to find people online who openly support the KKK than
people who openly support the RIAA" -- comment on Wikipedia
(Email: , but first subtract 275 and reverse
the last two letters).

From: Cub Driver


But still very open to the public, if anybody wanted to create
a fuss they certainly could. But this would presume a broader and
deeper knowledge of history than most potential protesters have.

The average protestor probably doesn't even know that a nuclear weapon
was dropped on Nagasaki, let alone that Bockscar dropped it.

If you want to have some fun with a bright anti-warrior sometime, ask
her: "Say, how many world wars were there, anyhow?" and watch the
wheels spin.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:


The same is true about the Holocaust. Most people only know the name Auschwitz
and I suspect a great many in the media who refer to a person or a group of
persons being "sent to Auschwitz" use it as a generic term. In the same way
most people know about the 6 million Jews but not the 6 million non Jews who
died in the camps etc.

Schools should teach a bit more history, but how much more? You have to keep it
age appropriate and fairly simple. I was taught the sinking of the Lusitania in
1915 got the U.S. into WW1 in 1917. Mention of the Zimmerman telegram would
have been nice to add to that.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired

You can also have fun asking if the US ever fought a war with Italy. To cause
brains to simulate a blue screen of death, ask in which world war(s) Italy and
the US were allies and in which were they enemies.


Chris Mark

On 26 Dec 2003 17:50:00 GMT, ost (Chris Mark) wrote:

You can also have fun asking if the US ever fought a war with Italy. To cause
brains to simulate a blue screen of death, ask in which world war(s) Italy and
the US were allies and in which were they enemies.


Chris Mark

Guess you have to read "Farewell to Arms" and then see "Patton."


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

phil hunt wrote:

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 16:24:37 -0500, Dave Holford wrote:

The Average is the total of the values divided by the number of values -
in the example above it would be 23.8

The Mean is the value midway between the values of the smallest and
largest terms -
in the example above it would be 51

No, the mean is your definition of average, above.

The Median is the middle value of a series arranged in order of size -
in the example above it would be 6

Correct.

--


You're right.
I'm wrong.

I'll try to pay more attention next year.

Dave

From: Ed Rasimus

Guess you have to read "Farewell to Arms" and then see "Patton."

That would help, but the consternation sets in when noting that Italy fought on
both sides in WW2, declaring war on Germany on Oct. 13, 1943, iirc.
That was confusing even then. As, for example, Macchis, enemy fighters, now
became friendly fighters.
At Elmo field, a co-occupant of the airdrome, along with allied fighter units,
was the famous Italian Air Force “Black Cat� squadron of the 155th
Autonomous Fighter Group. They were touted to be on par with the German
“Yellow-Nose� squadron. The rumor was that only fighter aces could fly with
them. Since their Macchi 202s, 205s, and Reggiane 2001s could fly inverted,
the Italians would buzz the field in a tight formation with half of the planes
inverted, thumbing their noses as the P-38 pilots also stationed on the field,
because the P-38 could not fly inverted.
It was quite an uncomfortable feeling for B-25 and B-25 pilots to see Macchis
come zooming in on them and then instead of attacking, take up escort
positions, ready to defend them from their erstwhile allies in Messerschmitts.





Chris Mark

That would help, but the consternation sets in when noting that Italy fought on
both sides in WW2,

There's a pretty town on the Mediterranean named Vernazza, and by the
railroad station / town square there's a WWII monument. At a rough
guess (it was five years ago) the town has a population of two
thousand and the plaque had the names of a hundred men who'd died in
WWII.

They were about equally divided between those who died in North
Africa, those "caduta in Russia", and those died fighting against the
Germans in the partisan war that followed Mussolini's deposition and
death.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com