In science, extrapolate or “extrapolation”, as compared to interpolate, or or “interpolation”, refers to the technique for finding the value of a function or measurement beyond values already known; more generally, to project, extend, or expand (known data or experience) into any area not know or experienced so as to arrive at conjectural knowledge of the unknown area, the exactness of the conjectural knowledge depending on how close the extension meets the scalability criterion (e.g. thermodynamics' first law, according to Clausius (1865), is scalable to any “material system” in the universe (Gibbs, 1876), whereas, by comparison, Joule’s first law is not); to predict by projecting past experience or known data; in hmolscience, two methods historically have tended to be employed, namely the extrapolate up approach (de-anthropomorphization) and the extrapolate down approach (anthropomorphization). [1]
Quotes
The following are related quotes:
“The consideration [of] the nature of the forces involved in [human] relationships is not an easy subject. There are numerous pitfalls in applying what we know about ordinary human behavior to love, or even to sexual desires; and so to reinforce this fact I provide you with the following to consider: these processes occur on human time [human time] and length scales which are well known to us, and yet extrapolating (or interpolating?) from the known into the unknown may be dangerous. So one asks, what is the nature of sex and love and so on, and their relation to the other everyday experiences around us? And the answer, of course, follows only from an observation of this world and the processes that occur in it. It must be noted, if it is not obvious, that I have never experienced any sort of romance. It is also true that I [likely] never will, and yet my curiosity drives me to inquire as to the nature of the experience. And it is true that physical theory is the only way in which to answer this question, other than direct experience. While direct experience is undeniably a more reliable way to answer such questions, a few major problems with direct experience must be addressed: first, that it is [probably] not going to happen; and second, that various other people whom I know have been involved in romances, and in some cases they have been involved in many consecutive romances, but have failed to take data during those treasured minutes of sex. Love lasts longer but they don't want to analyze their relationships for fear of destroying them. More seriously, they do not take time to step back and make objective and scientific observations. Thus, for all practical purposes, the mysteries of sex and love can for the time being only be revealed by theory.”
— Christopher Hirata (2000), “The Physics of Relationships” (§4:Neutron Scattering: a Cautionary Tale) [2]
References
1. (a) Daintith, John. (2005). Oxford Dictionary of Science (pg. 311). Oxford University Press.
(b) Extrapolate – Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000.
2. (a) Hirata, Christopher M. (c.2000). “The Physics of Relationships” (§4:Neutron Scattering: a Cautionary Tale) (Ѻ) (section: Fun), Tapir.Caltech.edu; (WayBack Machine).
(b) Hirata, Christopher M. (2010). "The Physics of Relationships", Journal of Human Thermodynamics, 6(5): 62-76.
External links
● Extrapolation – Wikipedia.
