science

Practical arguments

Practical arguments is a science 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 Practical arguments rather than just read about it. In short: Practical arguments are a logical structure used to determine the validity or dependencies of a claim made in natural-language arguments. Overview...

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Practical arguments are a logical structure used to determine the validity or dependencies of a claim made in natural-language arguments.

Overview... An argument can be thought of as two or more contradicting tree structures.

The root of each tree is a claim: a belief supported by information. The root branches out to nodes that are grounds: supporting information. The edges connecting them are warrants: rules or principles. Claims, grounds and warrants are often not known for certain, so they are presented with a qualifier to indicate their probability. When a ground is disputable it is a sub claim; in this way the tree can grow to be quite large. The object of a discussion is often to resolve a difference of opinion. This requires common grounds from which to logically convince one's opponent that one's claim is better supported and that the opponent's claim is supported by false grounds and or warrants (see Occam's razor). If one has no grounds or warrants to support one's claim, then one has no argument, just a belief/claim, perhaps an inaccurate one.

Example 1 Claim: Cats are less intelligent than dogs. Ground: Cats cannot learn to do tricks as well as dogs do. Warrant: The ability to learn tricks is a mark of intelligence.

Example 2 Where: C=claim, W=warrant, G=ground, and Q=qualifier

C: Humans can't fly. Q: In a gravity field without assistance or modification W1: Because it defies the laws of Newtonian physics it can not be done. Q: Fact G1: It defies the laws of Newtonian physics. Q: Disputable fact W1.1: Because Newtonian physics applies it would defy the laws of Newtonian physics. Q: Fact G1.1: Newtonian physics apply to all super quantum systems including people Q: Fact W1.2: Because there is no print record it is highly improbable. Q: Highly improbable G1.2: There is no print record of any reputable person claiming such a thing. Q: Fact W2: Because no one has ever flown, it is highly improbable. Q: Highly improbable G2: No one has ever flown. Q: Disputable fact W2.1: Because there is no print record it is highly improbable. Q: Highly improbable G2.1: There is no print record of any reputable person claiming such a thing. Q: Fact

See also Argument map Argumentation framework Logical argument Toulmin model of argument

References Printed: Writing Arguments by John D. Ramage The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, & Joseph M. Williams Online About Argumentation by University of California Argumentation by Winthrop University

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Practical arguments

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Practical arguments claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 Practical arguments 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 Practical arguments 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 Practical arguments

In research: Practical arguments appears in science 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 Practical arguments 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: Practical arguments is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arguments, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Practical arguments 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 Practical arguments in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Practical arguments 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 Practical arguments out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Practical arguments in simple terms?

Practical arguments are a logical structure used to determine the validity or dependencies of a claim made in natural-language arguments. Overview...

Why does Practical arguments matter?

Because it connects several science 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 Practical arguments?

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 Practical arguments.