Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 January 21

= January 21 =

Which Oxbridge university is more desirable to science people?
Or is it too close to call? Cambridge has such history with Newton, possibly the greatest scientist ever, but then again Oxford is supposed to be the best school in the world and older so I can't guess. They're so prestigious that they even have their own style guide, way to spell English, way to use commas and the Oxford English Dictionary. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 05:35, 21 January 2016 (UTC)


 * The tradition used to be Oxford for Arts and Cambridge for Sciences, but that's perhaps an unreasonable generalisation for the modern establishments. ( Note the Cambridge spelling. )   D b f i r s   08:46, 21 January 2016 (UTC)
 * This site ranks Oxford above Cambridge for Earth and Marine Sciences and Geography, and below Cambridge for all other science subjects. The only subject where either of the Oxbridge universities come top is Geography; for the rest, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and UCB share the honours. Tevildo (talk) 09:14, 21 January 2016 (UTC)


 * Just look up the rankings in your field of study in the latest REF. Other rankings are pointless for this. Bear in mind though that, despite their reputation, Oxbridge universities aren't always your best bet. For instance, my university, Cardiff, outranks Cambridge in my field of neuroscience. Also, it's not all about the science, as cost of living is much higher in Oxbridge, and pay is usually quite unimpressive. Fgf10 (talk) 09:47, 21 January 2016 (UTC)
 * I agree that a per field basis is the only real way to get a (possibly biased, vague) good estimate of which institution is stronger. There's just too many sciences and too much subjectivity to compare these huge universities (which are in a sense closer to consortia of schools, research centers, programs, departments, etc. Also I agree that payscales in academia don't seem to scale with local cost of living as much as some other sectors do, but that's a rant for another day :) SemanticMantis (talk) 17:19, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Oxford alumnus here : it's totally subjective. For undergraduate: honestly equal. For graduate: who's your supervisor and what department do you work in? 82.13.99.196 (talk) 14:21, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

From what Oxbridge graduates have told me down the years, you're better off finding a college that best suits you, whichever University. --Dweller (talk) 11:10, 25 January 2016 (UTC)

Lost Mathematics and scientific discoveries
I heard a lot of Scientific and Mathematical data and knowledge are being lost at an unprecedented rate, both online and in print format. How can we retrieve lost Scientific and Mathematics knowledge? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 100.38.74.62 (talk) 13:55, 21 January 2016 (UTC)


 * This query also appears on the Science Refdesk, where I suggest answers should be placed.
 * OP, please don't place the same question on multiple desks: it may lead to the volunteers who answer these questions to duplicate efforts and waste time, cause confusion, and be interpreted as spamming. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 185.74.232.130 (talk) 14:50, 21 January 2016 (UTC)
 * I have collapsed this and given a direct link as a more convenient and economical solution. μηδείς (talk) 20:49, 21 January 2016 (UTC)