Symbol N_group
roup is an argument of the function-like quantity on the left; its role is set by that function’s stated inputs.
Read this term in its guide →Published equation contexts
Why this formula appears here
The prediction itself has a precise origin and it is much narrower than its reputation. Robin Dunbar’s 1992 paper in the Journal of Human Evolution ran a comparative regression across primate genera and found that group size tracked one variable with real predictive power — the ratio of neocortex volume to the volume of the rest of the brain — while the ecological variables he tested alongside it, tied to diet and ranging behavior, did not [ 1 ] . Stated as a model, the claim was this: . Group size as a function of relative neocortex volume, nothing else in the model earning its keep. Dunbar’s interpretation was mechanistic rather than merely statistical: neocortical…
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Symbol α
α is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
Read this term in its guide →Symbol β
β is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
Read this term in its guide →Symbol V_neocortex
eocortex occurs above the fraction bar. The numerator is divided by the entire denominator below it.
Read this term in its guide →Symbol V_rest of brain
est of brain occurs below the fraction bar. The quantity above the bar is divided by this expression; zero is excluded as a denominator.
Read this term in its guide →How to interpret it
With a fixed numerator, increasing a nonzero denominator reduces the fraction. Read it with the definitions, units, and assumptions supplied by the article.
Research cited beside this formula
Published contexts (1)
A symbol can carry a different meaning in another article. Each occurrence keeps its own guide and term definitions.
Equation 1 · Evolutionary Psychology
Dunbar's Number: The Limit That Might Not Exist
This equation states an equality: the expressions on both sides have the same value under the article’s assumptions.
The prediction itself has a precise origin and it is much narrower than its reputation. Robin Dunbar’s 1992 paper in the Journal of Human Evolution ran a comparative regression across primate genera and found that group size tracked one variable with real predictive power — the ratio of neocortex volume to the volume of the rest of the brain — while the ecological variables he tested alongside it, tied to diet and ranging behavior, did not [ 1 ] . Stated as a model, the claim was this: . Group size as a function of relative neocortex volume, nothing else in the model earning its keep. Dunbar’s interpretation was mechanistic rather than merely statistical: neocortical…
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