A free parameter is a variable in a
mathematical model which cannot be predicted precisely or constrained by the model and must be
estimated experimentally or theoretically. A mathematical model, theory, or
conjecture is more likely to be right and less likely to be the product of
wishful thinking
Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire.
Methodologies to examine wishful thin ...
if it relies on few free parameters and is consistent with large amounts of data.
See also
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Decision variables
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Exogenous variables
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Random variables
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State variable
A state variable is one of the set of variables that are used to describe the mathematical "state" of a dynamical system. Intuitively, the state of a system describes enough about the system to determine its future behaviour in the absence of a ...
s
References
Philosophy of science
Scientific method
Ignorance
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