APS
2024 APS Annual Convention · 2024
Data Judgment in the Tragic Launch of the Challenger
- Francesca Gibson
Honors College at the College of Charleston - Anthony Bishara
College of Charleston
Abstract
In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded due to cold temperature leading to part failures. We conducted an experiment to test the impact of various data characteristics on the decision to launch. We found that exclusion of a subset of data led participants to launch at significantly colder temperatures.
Decision Making