[Phys-L] Re: earthquakes +- critical thinking

[Rick Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rauber, Joel" <Joel.Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU>
To: <PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: earthquakes +- critical thinking


> | David's argument is tantamount to stating that it is categorically
> |   impossible for some small stimulus often repeated to avoid or defuse
> | some very large effect,   This is so open to counter-example
> | that I will not
> | need to list such out of scale cause and effect scenarios.
>
> I don't understand the objections, I don't think David B. was saying
> that bunches of small effects can't be equivalent to one large effect.
> His objection, as I understood it, was merely being sceptical of the
> number of small effects that were said to be equivalent of the big
> effect in question.

But the point is not whether 100 magnitude-3 earthquakes have the energy
equivalent to a magnitude-9 earthquake, but rather can 100 small earthquakes
prevent a large one.  To that point, Joe Bellina's post is probably quite
relevant.

Rick

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Richard W. Tarara
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rtarara@saintmarys.edu
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