Re: Teaching physics to biology students

In article <1142950293.575497.4400@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Edward Green <spamspamspam3@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gregory L. Hansen wrote:


Another point, mentioned about medical research which is in the same
vein as routine data runs in physics: am I right in thinking that a
significant proportion of medical research is simply statistical
investigation? A carefully controlled statistical experiment may point
to the existence of an undisclosed mechanism. A loosely controlled one
may merely be suggestive, or may do more harm than good -- since the
"suggestion" will be taken as evidence by people prejudiced towards the
hypothesis.

In some sense, *every* experiment is a statistical investigation! Even
simple physical measurements must be reported with an error bar.

I was thinking along the lines of epidemiological research and drug
testing, and naturally you're testing the null hypothesis or whatever. I
assume that's what you mean by a statistical investigation. But not all
research is really like that. For instance, determining a protein
structure by crystallizing it and scattering neutrons through it. Or
determining the metabolites of caffeine. If you're measuring
something like a drug-drug interaction, I think you'd really want to be
able to produce something like a graph of the biological lifetime of drug
A versus doseage of drug B rather than resorting to "We've rejected the
null hypothesis." Physicians will want to know how to adjust the doses
they give to their patients, simply knowing that it must be adjusted is
not enough.


--
"Is that plutonium on your gums?"
"Shut up and kiss me!"
-- Marge and Homer Simpson
.

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