Robert E. Machol Quotes

19 Sourced Quotes

Scientists possess healthy skepticism. They realize that you've got to know the answer before you measure it.

Robert E. Machol
Sometimes it is more difficult to formulate the criterion for a problem than to state the question itself.

Robert E. Machol
Every large-scale system is an information system. The automatic factory, the vehicular-traffic system, any military system- in the design of all these systems, primary attention should be given to the flow of information about the elements of the system.

Robert E. Machol
The ideal system engineer is an engineer thoroughly versed in his field but conversant with and knowledgeable of other fields. You have to have the capability and desire to become a 'six-month expert'... You've got to want to become a generalist, too.

Robert E. Machol
Sometimes, where a complex problem can be illuminated by many tools, one can be forgiven for applying the one he knows best.

Robert E. Machol
We assert that it is possible to describe analytically any human function which can be reasonably defined in objective terms and we specifically include in such functions "thinking" insofar as that term is definable. If by "thinking" one means being able to do arithmetic, or play a good game of chess, or learn from experience, or make optimal decisions in exceedingly complex situations, then we assert that thinking can be described analytically. And there are two important corollaries: if It can be described analytically, it can be simulated; and if it can be simulated, it can be performed mechanically.

Robert E. Machol
The lack of formal definition does not prevent us from noting the characteristics which are frequently present in large scale systems. Each such system has a certain integrity. It may or may not be rigidly controlled from some central point, but in every case, all the parts of the system have some common purpose; in some sense, they all contribute to the production of a single set of optimum outputs from the given set of inputs, with respect to some appropriate measure of effectiveness.

Robert E. Machol
Most accidents in well-designed systems involve two or more events of low probability occurring in the worst possible combination.

Robert E. Machol
The conclusions of most good operations research studies are obvious.

Robert E. Machol
The purpose and real value of systems engineering is... to keep going around the loop; find inadequacies and make improvements.

Robert E. Machol
There are four distinct bases on which a system-design book might be organized. First are the chronological phases through which the system-design effort passes, such as organization and preliminary design. Second are the logical steps such as analysis of the single thread (operation on a single input) and high traffic (methods of handling multiplex inputs). Third are the parts of the system, such as communications and displays. Fourth are the tools of system design, such as information theory and queueing theory.

Robert E. Machol
The fellow who is able to get the grants and contracts is the fellow who gets the doctoral students. Each student publishes two or three papers on his thesis, in each of which he cites his professor's work. Then he goes on and does his own subsequent work, in which, of course, he cites those thesis papers which were coauthorised by his professor.

Robert E. Machol
Everyone knows what engineering is. All that's left is to define systems, and I'm not fool enough to do that.

Robert E. Machol
If the assumptions are wrong, the conclusions aren't likely to be very good.

Robert E. Machol
There comes a time when one must stop suggesting and evaluating new solutions, and get on with the job of analyzing and implementing one pretty good solution.

Robert E. Machol
[This set of inputs [can be defined] as 1) input which is always the same or is of many types, 2) input which occurs periodically (or very infrequently), and 3) input which does or does not seek to destroy the system. Their rationale for developing the classification was to aid in the definition of steps to be followed in order to find the] solution of the problem of a large-scale or complex system.

Robert E. Machol
[Systems should be classified] on the basis of the types of inputs with which they must cope.

Robert E. Machol
We have discovered in this past decade that thinking, and decision, are not solely the province of the metaphysicist, but are appropriate subjects for scientific inquiry.

Robert E. Machol
Mathematicians are there to find the constraints and to eliminate those things that aren't constraints... I know this will surprise many of you, but they are useful!

Robert E. Machol