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PEDAGOGY AGAIN: WHAT IS ENTROPY?∗

1977; American Association of Geographers; Volume: 67; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1467-8306.1977.tb01138.x

1467-8306

Michael Webber,

Cognitive Science and Education Research

ABSTRACT Entropy maximizing methods are popular in geography, civil engineering, and planning, but are not easy for nonspecialists to understand. Entropy is a measure of uncertainty. A reasonable means of constructing models is to maximize uncertainty subject to the information which is given because this minimizes the observer's bias. The nature of the constraints, or given information, is important. Results provided by the entropy maximizing method are illustrated for interaction models and location models. Although entropy maximizing models do not assert that people behave in a particular manner, it is possible to provide process interpretations of such models.