mathematics

László Mérő

László Mérő is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand László Mérő rather than just read about it. In short: László Mérő (born Budapest, 11 December 1949) is a Hungarian research psychologist and popular science author. He has Jewish ancestry.

Key takeaways

László Mérő belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect László Mérő to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of László Mérő from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

László Mérő (born Budapest, 11 December 1949) is a Hungarian research psychologist and popular science author. He has Jewish ancestry. He is a lecturer at the Experimental Psychology Department of Eötvös Loránd University and at the business school Kürt Academy. He is also a founder and leader of a software company producing computer games. One of his projects is a computer game he is developing with Ernő Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik's Cube. He is also the leader of the Hungarian team at the World Puzzle Championship. His son is Csaba Mérő, an 8-time Hungarian go champion. His daughter, Vera Mérő, is a human rights activist and author. He represented Hungary in the Tenth International Mathematical Olympiad held in Moscow in 1968, and was awarded a bronze medal. He graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in mathematics in 1974. He spent the next ten years at the Computer and Automation Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, working on various pattern recognition and artificial intelligence projects. Recognizing the limitations of artificial intelligence, he began investigating human cognition. Since 1984 he has been at the Experimental Psychology Department of Eötvös Loránd University, studying cognitive psychology and psychophysics. He has written two books, Ways of Thinking (newer translation: Habits of Mind) and Moral Calculations, that aroused the interest of the wider, non-professional public. His books analyze the quasi-rational mechanisms of people and the nature of rationality in general, undermining some common beliefs about our minds' functioning. He has been publishing in Magyar Narancs a series titled Are you the dance instructor here? (The title refers to a joke: A client enters the dancing school and asks a well-dressed man: "Are you the dance instructor here?" "Fuck no, I'm the etiquette instructor!") Several of these essays were collected in a book in 2005 (see below).

Volumes published in English Ways of Thinking : The Limits of Rational Thought and Artificial Intelligence (August/October 1990, hardcover: ISBN 981-02-0266-0, paperback: ISBN 981-02-0267-9) A revised (rewritten) edition of the former: Habits of Mind : The Power and Limits of Rational Thought (February 2002, ISBN 0-387-95077-X) Moral Calculations : Game Theory, Logic and Human Frailty (July 1998, ISBN 0-387-98419-4) A lesser known book of his is Rubik's Puzzles : The Ultimate Brain Teaser Book (March 2000, ISBN 1-85868-790-X).

Other language editions His books (originally written in Hungarian) have been published in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Croatian. The Moral Calculations was awarded the second prize as the Scientific Book of the Year in Germany in 1999.

Ways of Thinking; Habits of Mind – Észjárások (Hungarian); Die Grenzen der Vernunft (German) Moral Calculations – Mindenki másképp egyforma (Hungarian); Optimal entschieden?; Die Logik der Unvernunft (German); Les aléas de la raison (French); Calcoli morali (Italian); Los azares de la razón (Spanish) Az élő pénz ("The living money", ISBN 963-8453-84-2) – as of 2006, only in Hungarian Maga itt a tánctanár? – Pszichológia, moralitás, játék és tudomány ("Are You the Dance Instructor Here? – Psychology, morality, game and science", ISBN 963-8453-97-4) – a collection of articles; as of 2006, only in Hungarian A csodák logikája – A kiszámíthatatlan tudománya ("Logic of Miracles: Making Sense of Rare, Really Rare, and Impossibly Rare Events", ISBN 978-0300224153) – Mathematical explanation of the recent phenomena of highly improbable events occurring in a large and turbulent world.

References

See also John von Neumann Roger Penrose Douglas Hofstadter

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with László Mérő

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what László Mérő claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to László Mérő before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about László Mérő ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of László Mérő

In research: László Mérő appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses László Mérő in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: László Mérő is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, Game theorists, Hungarian people of Jewish descent, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for László Mérő outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study László Mérő in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what László Mérő means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain László Mérő out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is László Mérő in simple terms?

László Mérő (born Budapest, 11 December 1949) is a Hungarian research psychologist and popular science author. He has Jewish ancestry.

Why does László Mérő matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study László Mérő?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on László Mérő.