Normally, math and psychology are separate fields, but they come together in calculating the odds of a nuclear disaster. You can hire engineers to calculate the probably of a nuclear meltdown. The calculation itself is a math question, but getting them to do a good job is a psychological question. What if their boss is evil? What if there is disagreement and the corporation suppresses the bad reports? The drug industry also has a problem with companies suppressing reports.
Jurassic Park Nuclear Power Plants
March 18th, 2011 Permalink
One of the complaints about the original Jurassic Park movie was “Who would design a zoo where if the power failed, the animals would escape?” I have the same question about nuclear power plants. Who would design nuclear power plant such that if the power failed, the plant would blow up?