Cauchy and determinants: when life was simple

" In Cauchy's day, when life was simple and matrices were small, determinants played a major role in analytic geometry and other parts of mathematics."

Lay, p. 202 [Linear Algebra and its Applications, 3rd Edition (Update)]

Alpha values

Recently seen quote on Gelman's blog:


“No scientific worker has a fixed level of significance at which from year to year, and in all circumstances, he rejects hypotheses; he rather gives his mind to each particular case in the light of his evidence and his ideas.”
(Ronald A. Fisher, 1956, p. 42)


Also read about mindless statistics here: http://people.umass.edu/~bioep740/yr2009/topics/Gigerenzer-jSoc-Econ-1994.pdf