An argument is cogent if and only if the truth of the argument's premises would render the truth of the conclusion probable (i.e., the argument is strong) and the premises are, in fact, true. Cogency can be considered inductive logic's analogue to deductive logic's "validity." As an example, consider the following. Without looking, Jill pulled out 100 marbles from a bag; 95 of the marbles Jill pulled out were red. Therefore, the next marble Jill ...

Including:

• Cogency - Probable
• Cogency - Good argument

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Good argument, as used by philosophers and many others, means simply a sound or cogent argument. If one has offered a sound or cogent argument in defense of one's conclusion, then one has stated a true view, or at least a probably true view. The premises of one's argument support, or, with some sophisticated complications aside, justify one's belief in the conclusion. A good argument is the closest thing we have to a guarantee that a belief is true. If one is armed with a good argument, one has helped to justify one's belief in the c ...

See also:

Cogency, Cogency - Probable, Cogency - Good argument

Read more here: » Cogency: Encyclopedia II - Cogency - Good argument

An explanation is a statement which points to causes, context and consequences of some object (or process, state of affairs etc.), together with rules or laws which link these to the object. Some of these elements of the explanation may be implicit. Explanations can only be given by those with understanding of the object which is explained. In scientific research, explanation is one of three purposes of research (other two being exploration and description). Explanation is the discovery and reporting of relationsh ...

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Mathematical notation - Counting. It is believed that a mathematical notation was first developed at least 50,000 years ago in order to assist with counting. Early mathematical ideas for counting were represented by collections of rocks, sticks, bone, clay, stone, wood carvings, and knotted ropes. The tally stick is a timeless way of counting. Perhaps the oldest known mathematical texts are those of ancient Sumer. The Census Quipu of the Andes and the Ishango Bone from Africa both used the tally mark method of accounting for numerical concepts. Mathemat ...

See also:

Mathematical notation, Mathematical notation - Definition, Mathematical notation - Expressions, Mathematical notation - Precise semantic meaning, Mathematical notation - History, Mathematical notation - Counting, Mathematical notation - Geometry becomes analytic, Mathematical notation - Counting is mechanized, Mathematical notation - Computerized notation, Mathematical notation - Ideographic notation, Mathematical notation - Notes

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Precision is necessary so that we can know what we are investigating. Suppose that we have statements, denoted by some formal sequence of symbols, about some objects (for example, numbers, shapes, patterns). Until the statements can be shown to be valid, their meaning is not yet resolved. While reasoning, we might let the denoted symbols refer to those objects, perhaps in a model. The semantics of that object has a heuristic side and a d ...

See also:

Mathematical notation, Mathematical notation - Definition, Mathematical notation - Expressions, Mathematical notation - Precise semantic meaning, Mathematical notation - History, Mathematical notation - Counting, Mathematical notation - Geometry becomes analytic, Mathematical notation - Counting is mechanized, Mathematical notation - Computerized notation, Mathematical notation - Ideographic notation, Mathematical notation - Notes

Read more here: » Mathematical notation: Encyclopedia II - Mathematical notation - Precise semantic meaning