

A = F/m, So Keep Your Foot on the Gas - mrshoe
http://shoptalkapp.com/blog/2010/2/3/a-f-m-so-keep-your-foot-on-the-gas

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simon_
Acceleration = F/m implies Position = F/2m(t^2) + k1(t) + k2

That's quadratic, but definitely not exponential, and doesn't really look like
the curve he drew.

I know the guy's argument doesn't really depend on the shape of the curve, but
it's a pet peeve of mine that exponential growth is always presented in an
inaccurate way.

EDIT: fixed embarrassing calculus error

~~~
ygd_coder
Actually:

x = 1/2 * a * t^2 + v0 * t + x0

~~~
simon_
doh, fixed.

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RiderOfGiraffes
Inaccurate, whimsical, but a good analogy to explain the "overnight success"
story to non-scientists. I like it.

~~~
swombat
As a former physicist, I find it hard to ignore just how inaccurate the graph
is...

~~~
RiderOfGiraffes
I can understand that, and largely I feel the same. But over the past 20 years
since completing my PhD I've learned on occasion to let go of the details and
look to the underlying point. Sometimes, indeed, often, the example or the
calculations are fundamentally wrong, but the point is sound.

I've found I've learned a lot after having learned to look beyond the
specifics of a given example. It doesn't suit everyone, it doesn't work for
everyone, and I wouldn't claim that everyone should do it.

It works for me.

------
Freebytes
I really disliked this article and found it a complete waste of time to read.
On this web site, I would expect this article to lead to something scientific,
something related to programming, or perhaps information that would be
beneficial to someone starting a business. While off topic content is
certainly acceptable at times, this is really pointless to me and contributes
nothing. It was not worth reading, and the only reason why I am even
responding is to hopefully contribute by having others consider their content
before linking worthless content to the site. I cannot really see how it has
been rated so highly, and it makes me wonder if I am missing something. It is
neither accurate nor useful in any way. It does not even benefit me in a way
to get me thinking in a positive manner or to help me generate ideas.

~~~
mrshoe
Hey, author here. I don't usually comment on my own articles on HN, but this
comment was one of the more negative ones I've seen here.

A lot of us here on Hacker News (formerly Startup News) are working on
startups. One of the biggest challenges facing startups is finding the
determination to work hard during the long initial period where you might see
very few fruits from your labors. Personally, I like to read pg's "How Not to
Die" frequently (<http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html>). It was in this light
that I wrote the article. I submitted it to HN and apparently it struck a
chord with a lot of readers here, and they upvoted it.

Not every article on HN is going to appeal to every reader. Perhaps you're not
working on a startup, so this article doesn't really apply to you. Maybe my
next one will. Recognize that not all HN readers are in the same situation in
life; enjoy the articles that apply directly to your situation, and read the
others to give you perspective on the lives of your fellow HNers.

~~~
pgbovine
agreed ... your blog post tried to convey a very simple and punchy idea, and
you didn't make any pretenses about it being 'mathematically accurate' or
whatever, so i'm astounded that people have nitpicked on your curves not being
accurate or whatever.

a piece of presentation advice i've heard for creating graphs and diagrams is
that if you don't want people to nitpick on details, make a really crappy low-
fidelity sketch so that people don't have an expectation of precision. i once
got ripped on because i drew a line that looks like 1 / x^2 to talk about
inverse correlation, but people nitpicked on whether it was a power law, 1/x,
whether the integral converges, etc., which was totally irrelevant to my
argument. if i had made a crappy hand-sketch on the board, then people might
not have been as critical

~~~
eru
And don't include mathematical equations. They are meant to be precise.

A closer analogy might have been with growth of a bacteria colony: It's more
or less exponential and you have to keep the right conditions up --- even in
the beginning where you do not see anything, yet.

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obsaysditto
If only the magical engine was always constant.

~~~
francoisdevlin
And the box never gets heavier.

~~~
_delirium
And the speed of light isn't finite...

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ccc3
I wonder how far you could extend the analogy. If distance = $ and force =
effort, what startup attribute corresponds to mass?

Maybe difficulty of the problem, or level of competition.

~~~
nfnaaron
mass = tasks, the ones that need repeating (or you'll stop (making money)) and
the ones that have yet to be done (or you'll stop (making money)).

