This study aimed to investigate the effects of stiffeners on buckling of thin cylindrical shells under uniform axial compression. To this end, more than 300 finite element models of stiffened cylindrical shells were prepared. The variables considered are shell thickness, number, dimension and the location of the vertical and horizontal stiffeners as well as circular symmetrical imperfections. R...

*Occam’s razor, named after William of Ockham a Franciscan friar of the early 14th century, refers to the principle of logic that states that the simplest explanation is the most likely correct; in science with competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions is preferred. Hickam’s dictum is the counter-argument to Occam’s razor in medicine; the statement ‘Patients can have as many dis...

This paper presents a discourse analysis of 40 semi-structured interviews with scientists on their views of Occam's razor and simplicity. It finds that there are many different interpretations and thoughts about the precise meaning of the principle as well as many scientists who reject it outright, or only a very limited version. In light of the variation of scientists' opinions, the paper look...

In science, one faces the problem of selecting the true theory from a range of alternative theories. The typical response is to select the simplest theory compatible with available evidence, on the authority of “Ockham’s Razor”. But how can a fixed bias toward simplicity help one find possibly complex truths? A short survey of standard answers to this question reveals them to be either wishful,...

From the Department of Medicine (A.A.H.) and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (D.E.M.), Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minn.; the Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston (S.E.W.); the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco (...