Occam’s-razor

A postulated kinetic scheme is a model or hypothesis. In accord with Occam s razor, the model should be no more complex than is required to account for the... 

Even if it is assumed that the reaction is ionic, Occam s Razor would lead to the conclusion that the system is too complex and that the effort to keep it ionic is too great. It is difficult to undersand why step 8c is slow and why a simple uncharged complex would not be equally reasonable. We prefer a mechanism in which the carbon monoxide molecule is adsorbed parallel to the surface and in which the oxygen orbitals as well as the carbon orbitals of C=0 bond electrons interact with the metal. It seems reasonable that hydrogenolysis occurs exclusively only because the oxygen is held in some way while the two bonds are broken and it finally desorbs as water. The most attractive picture would be (a) adsorption of CO and H2 with both atoms on the surface... 

A good model is consistent with physical phenomena (i.e., 01 has a physically plausible form) and reduces crresidual to experimental error using as few adjustable parameters as possible. There is a philosophical principle known as Occam s razor that is particularly appropriate to statistical data analysis when two theories can explain the data, the simpler theory is preferred. In complex reactions, particularly heterogeneous reactions, several models may fit the data equally well. As seen in Section 5.1 on the various forms of Arrhenius temperature dependence, it is usually impossible to distinguish between mechanisms based on goodness of fit. The choice of the simplest form of Arrhenius behavior (m = 0) is based on Occam s razor. 

Occam s Razor states that multiplicity ought not to be posited without necessity. This prin-... 

It cannot be emphasised too strongly that this entirely new hypothetical species lacks the essential feature of a scientific theory, namely that the newly invented species should have well-defined properties so that its existence can be tested by experiment moreover, it offends against Occam s Razor ( hypotheses must not be multiplied unnecessarily ). 

If unireactant enzyme behavior is not described adequately by existing equations, a reaction scheme should be constructed which seems to describe the behavior based on available experimental data. In doing so, Occam s razor should be applied and the simplest possible explanations should be first discounted before more complex explanations are proposed. 

For self-associating protein systems, third-order polynomial functions provided a good fit over the accessible range The data on AG° must show the direction of the chemical change, toward the minimum in the Gibbs function. If this proves true, the equation can be applied in the standard or nonstandard state. For protein unfolding or DNA unwinding, nonlinear models are needed Consistent with Occam s razor, the simplest description is used to describe the system, and complexity is increased only if warranted by the experimental results. 

OCCAM S RAZOR PRION PLAQUE FORMATION PROBABILITY STATISTICS (A Primer)... 

The exponential and logarithm functions have clear convex and concave characters, and do not do well in a nearly linear function. The last three functions provide minor corrections on the linear function, and do quite well. It should be pointed out that the first four functions have two arbitrary parameters each, the quadratic has three and the cubic has four. We expect that when the number of parameters increases, we can correlate ever more complicated data. For the cubic equation with three parameters and only six data points, there remain only three degrees of freedom. It is often said that Give me three parameters, and I can fit an elephant, so that it is a greater achievement to fit complicated data with as few parameters as possible, in the spirit of what is called the Occam s Razor. ... 

Symmetry is a common phenomenon in tlie world around us. IT Nature abhors a vacuum, it certainly seems to love symmetry It is difficult to overestimate the importance of symmetry in many aspects of science, not only chemistry. Just as the principle known as Occam s razor suggests that the simplest explanation for an observation is scientifically the best, so it is true that other tilings being equal, frequently the most symmetrical molecular structure is the preferable one. More important, die methods of analysis of symmetry allow simplified treatment of complex problems related to molecular structure. 

The physicists tried to solve this profound problem by the principle of least arbitrariness or a fortiori [2c]. This principle means the optimum relation among the introduced hidden variables, which are necessary to description of the phenomena. (This maxim is well known and accepted in the scientific community as (Occam s razor.)... 

Eisner, D. A., and Trafford, A. W. (2002). Heart Failure and the Ryanodine Receptor Does Occam s Razor Rule Circ Res 91(11) 979-81. 

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