Homework answers / question archive / our argument should be succinct and based   | = onstatements you are exceptionally confident < of

our argument should be succinct and based   | = onstatements you are exceptionally confident < of

Computer Science

Share With

---

our argument should be succinct and based

 

| = onstatements you are exceptionally confident <

of. DO NOT resort to the literature or cite the

literature. While both are crucial for any good

science, | seek to assess your capacity for

logical reasoning only.

 

: In addition to outlining your argument, you

must also enumerate the assumptions that

your argument relies upon.

 

How to answer the assignment question:

Your argument

e Enumerate (that means number) your

logical points

co one sentence per point

Assumptions of your argument

e state the assumptions your points rely on

and, where possible, refer to the relevant

number from your argument

 

: e you must not exceed 500 words.

 

TIP To identify what assumptions you are

making, look at every statement you have

made. Is there a condition under which the

statement would be incorrect? If so, that

condition not happening is an assumption you

are making.

 

Example

 

The answer to the following example question

is < 200 words.

 

Example Question

 

Consider a scenario in which a virus that infects a host has an absolute dependence on an insect vector. The virus does not affect the health of the vector. The vector is a mild- parasite (not lethal) of the host and many

Example Question

 

| Consider a scenario in which a virus that

infects a host has an absolute dependence on

an insect vector. The virus does not affect the

health of the vector. The vector is a mild-

parasite (not lethal) of the host and many

other species. The initial virus strain is lethal

to a host within 3 days.

 

The virus is introduced into a large host

population previously unexposed to the virus.

What do you predict for the phenotype of the

virus? Will it stay the same, or change? If it

changes, how will it be different to the original

phenotype? Write your reasoning as a

numbered series of successive logical

statements. Following those, state

assumptions that are crucial for your

conjecture to work.

 

A sample answer to

Example Question

 

My argument |

 

1. For a virus to leave offspring, it must

infect another host.

 

2. For (1) the host must be visited by a

vector.

 

3. Anovel virus phenotype that extends

the life-span of an infected host, relative

to the original virus phenotype,

increases the chance the host will be

 

| visited by a vector.

 

4. The virus from (3) has a greater chance

of infecting another host.

 

5. A virus which infects a greater number

of hosts will leave more offspring.

 

6. Thus | predict the next major virus

phenotype to evolve will be one that

extends the life span of infected hosts,

relative to the original virus phenotype.

 

Essential assumptions of my

argument

(Numbers in parentheses refer to the

corresponding Argument statement.)

 

e All aspects of host and vector biology

 

remain unchanged (1).

 

e Vector visits to host result in infection of

 

vector (1).

 

e The probability of a host being visited by a

vector stays the same (hence the

probability of a host being visited increases