Personal equation

Personal equation

The personal equation, in 19th- and early 20th-century science, referred to the idea that every individual observer had an inherent bias when it came to measurements and observations.

The term originated in astronomy, when it was discovered that numerous observers making the simultaneous observations would record slightly different values (for example, in recording the exact time at which a star crossed a wire in a telescope view-finder), some of which were of a significant enough difference to afford for problems in larger calculations.

In response to this realization, astronomers became increasingly suspicious of the results of other astronomers and their own assistants, and began systematic programs to attempt to find ways to remove or lessen the effects. These included attempts at the automation of observations (appealing to the presumed objectivity of machines), training observers to try to avoid certain known errors (such as those caused by lack of sleep), developing machines which could allow multiple observers to make observations at the same time, the taking of redundant data and using techniques such as the method of least squares to derive possible values from them, and trying to quantify the personal equations of individual workers so that they could be subtracted from the data. It became a major topic in experimental psychology as well, and was a major motivation for developing methods to deal with error in astronomy.

References

*Simon Schaffer, "Astronomers Mark Time: Discipline and the Personal Equation," "Science in Context", 2 (1988), 101-131.

ee also

Source criticism


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  • Personal equation — Personal Per son*al (p[ e]r s[u^]n*al), a. [L. personalis: cf. F. personnel.] 1. Pertaining to human beings as distinct from things. [1913 Webster] Every man so termed by way of personal difference. Hooker. [1913 Webster] 2. Of or pertaining to a …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Personal equation — Equation E*qua tion, n. [L. aequatio an equalizing: cf. F. [ e]quation equation. See {Equate}.] 1. A making equal; equal division; equality; equilibrium. [1913 Webster] Again the golden day resumed its right, And ruled in just equation with the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • personal equation — index characteristic Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • personal equation — n. 1. variation in judgment, observation, etc. between individuals or in relation to a norm, often resulting in error 2. an allowance or correction made to take such variation into account …   English World dictionary

  • personal equation — noun variability attributable to individual differences • Hypernyms: ↑variability, ↑variableness, ↑variance * * * noun 1. : a constant or systematic deviation from an assumed correct observational result depending on personal qualities of the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • personal equation — noun Date: 1845 variation (as in observation) occasioned by the personal peculiarities of an individual; also a correction or allowance made for such variation …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • personal equation — the tendency to personal bias that accounts for variation in interpretation or approach and for which allowance must be made. [1835 45] * * * …   Universalium

  • personal equation — The correction necessary to take account of individual differences in response times, especially in astronomy. Some observers will report an event earlier than others, because of an element of anticipation whose effects may vary. By analogy, the… …   Philosophy dictionary

  • personal equation — /pɜsənəl əˈkweɪʒən/ (say persuhnuhl uh kwayzhuhn) noun 1. personal tendency to deviation or error, as a result of the influence of individual perception, judgement, etc., for which allowance must be made. 2. the characteristics of an individual… …  

  • absolute personal equation — noun : the deviation between a value obtained by an observer and a standard value assumed as true compare relative personal equation …   Useful english dictionary

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