{"id":3488,"date":"2015-04-23T16:12:34","date_gmt":"2015-04-23T16:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ericjorden.com\/blog\/?p=3488"},"modified":"2015-04-23T16:12:34","modified_gmt":"2015-04-23T16:12:34","slug":"more-about-messy-lumpy-mother-nature-and-how-we-deal-with-her-effect-on-our-forensic-engineering-and-insurance-investigations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ericjorden.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/23\/more-about-messy-lumpy-mother-nature-and-how-we-deal-with-her-effect-on-our-forensic-engineering-and-insurance-investigations\/","title":{"rendered":"More about messy, lumpy Mother Nature and how we deal with her effect on our forensic engineering and insurance investigations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Very brief summary of what we do<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u00a0do this by\u00a0“zooming” in on\u00a0the details of\u00a0the natural environment\u00a0and adjusting our investigations accordingly.\u00a0 That is, apply the principles of the semi-empirical – observational, sciences and also that of simple geometry.<\/p>\n

This underlies what we do, but we’re not thinking science and\u00a0geometry as we\u00a0examine the site of a failure or accident getting our hands dirty and mud on our boots.<\/p>\n

An interesting, relevant article<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I recently came across an article on fractions, like in arithmetic. \u00a0More correctly, the article was on fractals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Fractals are an attempt in mathematics to come to terms with the fractured roughness of everyday life, including the natural environment. (Refs 1 and 2)<\/p>\n

The article\u00a0was\u00a0very relevant to the nature and methods of forensic engineering where the natural environment is involved.\u00a0\u00a0For me, learning about this was enjoyable coming as it did shortly after\u00a0I posted\u00a0a blog on messy Mother Nature.\u00a0 And how this messiness\u00a0sometimes results in difficult, “messy” forensic and insurance investigations.\u00a0(Ref. 3)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Problems in the real world of nature<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

High school\u00a0geometry deals with straight lines – think triangles, squares and rectangles, and perfect circles.\u00a0 But in the real world none of these exist.\u00a0 Clouds, trees, soil, and rocks are fragmented, jagged, and fractional.\u00a0 Nature is rough\u00a0and lumpy – messy. (modified after Ref. 1, page 110)<\/p>\n

Describing such real-world things has historically defeated mathematicians.\u00a0 It has\u00a0also –\u00a0as I blogged recently –\u00a0caused problems for forensic engineers investigating failures and accidents involving the natural environment.\u00a0 The devil, it appears, is in the details. (modified after Ref. 1, page 110)<\/p>\n

Detailed observation of nature<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We have dealt with\u00a0this problem in\u00a0engineering\u00a0with increasingly detailed observation of what we find in nature.\u00a0 For example, more test holes and laboratory tests to characterize the irregular layers of soil existing beneath the site of a failure. (Ref. 3)<\/p>\n

Some of our sciences\u00a0have actually come to be\u00a0recognized as\u00a0semi-empirical in nature.\u00a0\u00a0You could also say “semi-observational”.\u00a0 For example, soil\u00a0mechanics, rock mechanics, snow mechanics, ice science, hydromechanics, etc.\u00a0 Medicine is a semi-empirical science.\u00a0 Our analytical procedures and formula are based partly on what we theorize takes place in rough and lumpy\u00a0nature and partly on what we observe actually takes place there.<\/p>\n

Zooming in on the\u00a0rough details of Nova Scotia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Fractal mathematics is also an attempt to come to terms with the fractured, lumpy roughness of everyday nature by also looking at the details.<\/p>\n

An example of its use – possibly unknowingly, would be the measurement of the length of the coast of Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n

On a small-scale map, say the highway map of Nova Scotia, the coastline of the province is very uncomplicated.\u00a0 Because the level of detail is low, long stretches of the coastline can be represented with straight lines.\u00a0 To get more detail and a longer, more\u00a0accurate\u00a0measure of the coastline you need a larger-scale map –\u00a0to zoom in, in a sense, and use a ruler with smaller graduations.\u00a0 (after Ref. 1)<\/p>\n

This was done by someone, and at the level of detail\u00a0finally accepted,\u00a0it was\u00a0found that Nova Scotia’s coastline is 15% longer – 7,400 km, than\u00a0Canada is wide – 6,422 km.\u00a0 (N.S. is 575 km long overland from one end to the other).\u00a0 (Ref. 4)\u00a0 Of course, the measurement could have zoomed in closer still and got an\u00a0even\u00a0greater distance.<\/p>\n

There is really no limit to applying this process of “zooming in”\u00a0and observing and studying at any level of detail any problem involving the messy, lumpy natural environment.\u00a0 This is often necessary to complete a thorough forensic engineering or insurance investigation.\u00a0 For example, in problems like:<\/p>\n