Captain Math and the Model
The Adventures of Captain Math: two would-be modelers want math to prove their model, but have no data. Captain Math warns that math without data is just elaborate confirmation bias.
Transcript
[1] "Hurry, Captain Math! We need to prove the truth of our model!" "I understand. Show me the data." [Their paper: "Model: internet tells me I should be king"]
[2] "What? No data." "Just math!" "But… without data, the model can have no validity. Invoking me is only an elaborate form of confirmation bias."
[3] "Exactly! Now you get it." "Hurry, Captain Math! We need to publish it soon!"
Use this cartoon
Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2019-09-11-captain-math-and-the-model/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)