<div> <div><i><b><span xml:lang="la" lang="la">Cēterīs paribus</span></b></i> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> phrase, literally translated as "with other things the same." It is commonly rendered in English as "all other things being equal." A prediction, or a statement about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causal_relation" title="Causal relation" class="mw-redirect">causal</a> or logical connections between two states of affairs, is qualified by <i>ceteris paribus</i> in order to acknowledge, and to rule out, the possibility of other factors which could override the relationship between the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antecedent_%28logic%29" title="Antecedent (logic)">antecedent</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequent" title="Consequent">consequent</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Schlicht000_0-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceteris_paribus#cite_note-Schlicht000-0" title="">[1]</a></sup></div> <div>A <b><i>ceteris paribus</i> assumption</b> is often fundamental to the <i>predictive</i> purpose of scientific inquiry. In order to formulate scientific laws, it is usually necessary to rule out factors which interfere with examining a specific causal relationship. Experimentally, the <i>ceteris paribus</i> assumption is realized when a scientist controls for all of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_variable" title="Independent variable" class="mw-redirect">independent variables</a> other than the one under study, so that the effect of a <i>single</i> independent variable on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependent_variable" title="Dependent variable" class="mw-redirect">dependent variable</a> can be isolated. By holding all the other relevant factors constant, a scientist is able to focus on the unique effects of a given factor in a complex causal situation.</div> <div>Such assumptions are also relevant to the <i>descriptive</i> purpose of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operationalization" title="Operationalization">modeling</a> a theory. In such circumstances, analysts such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicists" title="Physicists" class="mw-redirect">physicists</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economist" title="Economist">economists</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_psychologist" title="Behavioral psychologist" class="mw-redirect">behavioral psychologists</a> apply simplifying assumptions in order to devise or explain an analytical framework that does not necessarily prove cause and effect but is still useful for describing fundamental concepts within a realm of inquiry.<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font></div> <div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font></div> <div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wikipedia</font><br> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></div> </div> <br> <div> <br> </div> -----Original Message-----<br> From: Noah Haverkamp <noahhaverkamp@yahoo.com><br> To: pianotech@ptg.org<br> Sent: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 6:09 pm<br> Subject: All other things being equal<br> <br> <div id="AOLMsgPart_2_3eb12d8f-bc2a-46d2-9d19-b024975db2f8"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit;" valign="top">I always thought this phrase meant exactly what it says. That is, all things whatever except for the thing that is about to be pointed out. So, in this case: equal sound, equal length of life, equal color, equal thickness, equal size, equal weight, equal value, etc. <br> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div>  <div id='MAILCIADA043-88724901129e18' class='aol_ad_footer'> </div>