Sciencespeaking topic
Simpson's paradox: a trend that holds in every subgroup can reverse when the groups are combined. How can the same data say both A is better and B is better?
— Simpson's paradox
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- The number of bacteria living in your gut is greater than the number of human cells in your body. So most of what you call 'me' is not actually you. When you make a decision, are you really 'yourself,' or a coalition in which the microbes inside you are lobbying?
- A moisturizer doesn't add moisture to the skin, it stops moisture from escaping: humectants pull water from the air but in a dry environment can do the opposite and dry the skin out. Is glycerin our friend or our enemy?
- Epistemological anarchism: Feyerabend rejected the idea of a single scientific method, declaring anything goes. Is science advancing without rigid rules a strength or a weakness?
- The Standard Model explains the universe's fundamental particles, so why is it still considered incomplete?
- We remember the past but not the future. While most laws of physics don't care whether time runs forward or backward, why do we always experience time in one direction? Where does the arrow of time really come from?