We are all Scientists

According to a team of mathematicians and engineers, “if taxi riders were willing to share a cab, New York City could reduce the current fleet of 13,500 taxis up to 40 percent, in that way unclogging traffic, conserving fuel and fighting air pollution.”

New York City! 328

Upon reading this interesting article, my mind began to wonder with the idea of other outcomes of the new data. Would the taxiing business dangerously suffer with a decrease in destinations? Would riders feel unsafe while sharing their cab? Would the congestion of New York City cause the tourist trap to loose its appeal? Will new relationships arise from increased stranger confrontation?

It is increasingly wonderful to see scientists, as well as, average citizens making an effort to conserve our Earth’s natural resources, but few forget to realize what other exogenous factors may arise. With limited supplies of almost everything our environment has to offer, it is extremely important that we are informed of the simple, or complex ways, our society can change their daily habits into something that matters in the future. With these changes, it is relevant to analyze some of the other positive and sometimes negative consequences of a cleaner Earth just like a scientist.

“In his 36 years as a cabby, Mr. Salomon said he had watched many ride-sharing programs come and go. The problem, he went on, is that passengers would rather pay extra for a private ride than split a fare with someone they’ve never met,” and most city goers might agree. It’s aggravating to think that the ignorance of a lot of individuals is that they would rather be alone paying more, than have a simple conversation with a stranger they would never have to see again and pay less. Who knew a decrease in pollution would indirectly lead to an increase in communication?

Most are afraid to make correlations between seemingly unlike ideas because we are told to distinctively classify our thoughts into specific categories. The idea of science is rarely ever incorporated into something of the arts such as paintings or music. But, science is everywhere. Science can help us economically, socially, and technologically. Reading this article made me realize that there are numerous possibilities that can arise from one discovery. What this team of mathematicians and engineers found, serves as a catalyst to many other direct and indirect advances not just in the science industry. Maybe we all are scientists in some way.

Chang, Kenneth, and Joshua A. Krisch. “If 2 New Yorkers Shared a Cab …”The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 Sept. 2014.

 

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